Ai no Chikara: Dark Passions
by Enchantress101
Summary: GV fic of an epic proportion: It all begins when Sharpner secretly enters Gohan into a contest where the winner must stay at the Satan mansion for a month (and he wins), and spirals into a battle for planet earth . . . and Videl's heart . . .
1. I Videl's Mission

*~*

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ.

*~*

**EDITING COMPLETED: ****4/10/2004******

*~* Chapter One *~*

Videl's Mission

Gohan could feel her eyes piercing his back. He nervously nibbled on this third sandwich, quickly loosing his appetite in the process. _Gosh . . . she just doesn't stop, does she?_

Without looking, he could easily tell that Videl was staring at him again. Everyday, especially during their free time like lunch or PE, she would lock her gaze onto him, so he expected it regularly-- and today was no different. As Gohan, Erasa and Sharpner ate lunch on the bleachers, Videl's gaze was concentrated on the young Saiyan.

Gohan sighed and wrapped up the remainder of his sandwich. As he put it back into his lunchbox he turned to Videl. "Is . . . uh, is something wrong Videl?"

Her gaze grew even more intense as she said nothing.

A sweat drop rolled down the back of Gohan's head. "Is that a yes or . . . no?"

"Where did you go yesterday during math, Gohan? A friend of mine told me you took off in the middle of class after I left," she barked suddenly, startling Gohan and the others.

He jumped slightly, nervously staring back at her. "I . . . don't know what you mean, Videl."

"Don't play dumb. I know that you-"

"Down, Videl!" giggled Erasa. "Leave poor Gohan alone. He just went to the bathroom."

"Y-yeah. That's where I went!"

Videl continued stare at Gohan for a few more minutes, then broke her gaze, focusing her attention on something else.  However, it was clear to her friends that her mind was still on Gohan's latest mysterious disappearance.  During school hours, it was rarely on anything else.

Sharpner snorted, eying Gohan suspiciously. "So, do you mind telling us what you were doing in the bathroom for over an hour?"

"Well . . . Good question, Sharpner. I was . . ." _BRIINNNG!!_ Gohan was saved by the bell. He let out a huge sigh and dashed off to class, abandoning the others.

Sharpner turned to Videl as she began to collect her things. "You're right. Something's up with him. He's obviously hiding something."

Erasa rolled her eyes. "Come off it, you two. Sharpner, you're just jealous that all the girls think that Gohan's cuter than you."

"Sure, Erasa. _Sure_."

Videl ignored the chatter of her friends. For some odd reason, she was obsessed with finding out Gohan's secret, and she _knew_ that he had one.  Mysteriously disappearing whenever she did, somehow making it into the city for school and back home every day without a car or copter . . . 

She snorted, remembering how for a while, she'd thought that Gohan was the Great Saiyaman.  That could've been _the secret_, if only she hadn't seen him take a punch to the face a couple of days ago.

_I'll discover your little secret, Son Gohan, if it's the last thing I do . . ._

*~*

"She's _scary_, Bulma. I really think she wants to beat me up," Gohan was saying as he stood in the living room of Bulma's home, the huge Capsule Corp building. Once school had ended, he'd immediately flown to Bulma's place in search of guidance on his problem with Videl. Of course, he felt bad, talking to Bulma about his problems and not his own mother, but when it came to Chichi and girls . . . _well_ . . . that was a topic that Gohan was afraid to bring up with her.  Bulma was more level headed about the subject of girls, so she was a much better choice anyway.

"And . . ." Bulma muttered.  "What do you want _me_ to do?"

"Well, you're a woman. You were a teenaged girl. What do you think I should do?" he asked.

Trunks, who was standing next to his mother, rolled his eyes. _He can be SO lame sometimes._ "You should challenge her and beat the snot out of the girl! That'll get her of your back for sure!" he exclaimed, clenching his fists and grinning.

Bulma sent her son a shocked look. "Trunks! Watch your mouth. No doubt you got that from your father . . ." She returned her attention to the distressed teen. "Why don't you ask Chichi? She's your mother, after all."

Gohan shook his head furiously. "She'll get weird ideas about me marrying her since she's the daughter of Hercule and probably has a lot of money and-"

"WOAH! Did you say the DAUGHTER OF HERCULE?!!!!!" exclaimed Bulma.

Trunks raised an eyebrow. He remembered his mother telling him about the time that Gohan had defeated a monster named Cell and how this jerk named Hercule had taken all the glory. "Now you REALLY should beat her up! Her Dad's an idiot!"

Bulma forgot to reprimand her son, her eyes shinning. "Wow. This is getting intense, like a soap opera . . ."

"Bulma!" moaned Gohan. "I'm in real trouble here!"

The older woman blinked several times and came out of her daze. "Oh, yes, of course . . . Well, ignore the girl. It's not like she can really DO anything to you. Just be careful with the Saiyaman stuff and everything will be fine."

Gohan let out a huge sigh. "If you say so. Man, this is really driving me crazy."

A snort came from behind them. They turned around to see Vegeta leaning in the doorway. "So, Kakkarot's brat is having female problems? I've got a solution. Why don't you whip her ass in a fight and leave it at that?"

Trunks smiled triumphantly. "See? See?!! I was right! Dad said it too!!!!"

*~*

Satan Videl warily eyed her father as he stuck a pose in her nearby mirror. _That one is worse than Saiyaman's . . ._ "Dad, I'm TRYING to talk to you," she muttered, flopping onto her bed with a sigh. She roughly placed her chin on her folded arms and glared at her father.

"Huh? Oh, right, right. So . . . what were you saying?" He managed to tare his eyes away from the mirror. _I'm one buff son of a . . ._

"I've got a problem. I thought you might now how to help. It's like a . . . a . . . puzzle, really. You see, th-there's this b-b-boy at school who's-"

The only word that Hercule heard was boy. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!!! A BOY?!"

Videl winced. "Y-yeah. A boy. But it's not like I want to DATE him or something," she added quickly.

"Good. That's good. You know you can't date unless the boy meets my approval. I won't have you with a puny little twerp! Guys like that only have one ambition, and that's to get inside your pants and-"

Videl flushed wildly and jumped up in horror. "**DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!** No!!! It's NOT like that!!"

Hercule grinned. "That's what I thought. Now, no more nonsense about boys and such. Besides I though you and that Sharpner guy were together."

Videl shook her head and fell back onto the bed. "No."

"Well, HIM, I wouldn't mind. He's got a lot of muscles and stuff. Oh, yeah, he'd be good. Not to mention the fact that his dad's a big businessman. Maybe I should get in contact with his father and set up a date for you two . . ."

As her father began to go on and on and on about the perfect guy for his little girl, Videl tuned out.

_Why did I even try to talk to him? Every one of our conversations ends up about fighting, or guys or his fame. _She rolled over onto her back. _I wish my mother were here. She might understand . . ._

"Videl! Videl!! VIDEL!!!!"

She sat up and snapped back to reality. "Huh? Yes Dad?"

"I want to tell you about this contest I'm sponsoring. Came up with the idea myself." Hercule winked at his daughter. "And that contest guy ate it up. You should have seen his face when I told him my idea. Hahahahaha! Bet you didn't know your old man was so smart, di-"

"DAD, the IDEA? Before I get old?"

"Right. Well, there's gonna be a raffle held at all the Satan city schools. And the prize is a free month of training from my very own school."  Hercule looked very pleased with himself, and grinned broadly as he continued.  "The winner also gets to stay at our house that month and observe my fighting techniques. Great, huh?"

Videl was on her feet once again.  "A whole month? Are you crazy?"

"Heck no! It'll be great publicity. And two runner-ups will get the new line of Hercule dolls before they come out in stores. Which reminds me, I gotta work on my poses for those darn things. With all the money we'll rake in, I'll be able to buy that new mansion I had my eye on. See you later, sweat pea."

Videl frowned. She didn't like the idea of a stranger staying at her hose for a whole month, but there was little she could do about it. Once her father got a money-making idea in his head, nothing could stop him . . .

*~*

"I'm home, Mom!" called Gohan as he pushed the red button on the side of his watch, returning to his regular clothes, and stepped into the Son home.

Goten bounced happily into the room. "YAY!! Big brother's home! Can we train? Huh? Huh?"

Gohan laughed and patted his little brother's head. "Down boy, down!"

Chichi walked into the living room and eyed her son. "He most certainly will _not_ train with you. He's got schoolwork. And just where have _yo_u been?"

"I stopped at Bulma's for a while. I . . . um, had trouble with the Saiyaman costume."

"Oh." Chichi's gaze pierced Gohan.

_Gee, she reminds me of Videl,_ noted Gohan as he shifted his body nervously. 

"Don't you have something to tell me?" barked his mother.

Gohan blinked. "What? I  . . . do?"

"Ohhhhhhhh, Gohan's in TROUBLE!!!!!!!!! Hehehehehe!" giggled Goten, who immediately shut his mouth when his mother turned to glare at him.

Chichi walked up to her older son and crossed her arms over her chest. "I just received a call from your school. It seems that your teachers are complaining that you ask to go to the restroom a lot and never return."

"Oh. That. Hehe . . . well . . . you see . . ."

"What's going on, Gohan?"

He let out a defeated sigh. "I go and help Videl fight crime. She gets these calls in the middle of class and I follow her as Saiyaman. She'll get hurt if I don't help."

Chichi's eyebrows rose. "She? A girl?" she questioned, swooping down on her eldest son like a hawk.

_Oh, no . . . _"A girl? Did I say that? Whoops. I meant HE. Yes, HE fights crime. HE gets calls and HE might get hurt if I don't help HIM."

Goten frowned. "Uh-uh. Trunks called me earlier and told ME that YOU told HIS mom that YOU go and fight crime as Saiyaman with a GIRL named Videl. Not a BOY."

"GOTEN!!!" hissed the older boy.

The little Saiyan shrugged his shoulders. "What? I'm telling the truth."

"A girl? Really? Well, I see. She MIGHT hurt herself . . . Is she pretty? Is she rich?"

Gohan rolled his eyes. "I don't know if she's pretty and yes, she's rich." He headed off to his room. His mother followed him.

"What do you mean, you don't know if she's pretty?!" exclaimed Chichi. "You go to school with her every day!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that I think of her in THAT WAY, Mom." Gohan walked into his room and stood in the entrance. "Please, Mom, give me some the with the girl thing. I know I'll find the right one for me. After all, Dad did when he found you."

Chichi's eyes misted over as she sighed. "Yes, he did. Oh, I'm so sorry, Gohan. I just want you to be happy . . ."

Gohan smiled and kissed his mother's forehead. "I know. And I AM happy. Now, I've got a ton of homework to do, Mom . . ."

"Oh, of course. Go on. Dinner will be ready in an hour or so."

Gohan released a huge sigh. _How did I get out of that one?_

*~*

Videl ran a brush through her thick black hair as she sat at her vanity, humming a soft tune to herself. She then pulled it back into a messy ponytail and tied it with a scrunchy. She stared at her image in the mirror and shook her head. _If mother were here . . . I can imagine what she would say . . ._ Videl's hair was too thick to bother with, so she'd never done anything with it.  Besides that, any style would quickly fall apart if she did any fighting. Videl never wore any makeup. She didn't know how to put it on, so she never bothered with that either.

"I don't know why Dad's always huffing about boys," she muttered. "No one's going to want me. I look like a guy with long hair."

Besides, she wasn't interested in any boys at school. They were all immature and weak. She could probably bench press more weight than any of the boys at Orange Star High, not to mention the fact that all of the boys were obsessed with the fact that her father was Great Hercule, Savior of the World.  Why should she spend time with a guy who was probably more interested in her _father_ than her?

The only male she was interested in was Saiyaman and his real identity.  What really stumped her was that she couldn't figure out the source of his power. How could he fly? How could he bend a gun? How could he stop a missile in mid air and catch a falling bus? And how was he so FAST?

Videl grinned to herself. She'd never been one to back away from a challenge and there was no way she was going to start now.

*~*

Gohan patted his belly happily as he trudged into his room. He let out a huge yawn and crawled into his bed. _Nothing like a pre-bedtime snack to help me fall asleep . . ._

He snuggled into his blankets and closed his eyes. If there was one thing that Saiyans liked more than eating, it was sleeping.

Gohan put away all of his worries- Videl, Saiyaman and his social life in general- and drifted off into dreamland.

*~*

"Hi-yaaaaaaaa!!!" Videl jumped up into the air and landed a kick on the man's head. He fell to the ground with a thump. "That'll teach you for robbing a bank!"

She looked up from the unconscious villain and a strange smile appeared on her face. She kicked the bad guy aside with her foot roughly and stepped past him. "Oh, SAAAAIYAAAAMAN!!!!! YOO-HOO!"

Saiyaman, who was busy tying up another unconscious robber, turned to her. "Yes miss?"

Gohan watched nervously as Videl approached him. "Are . . . you okay? You're walking a bit funny today," he said in his fake deep voice as he kept his eyes on Videl's hips as they swayed back and forth in a . . . very disturbing way.

She stopped right in front of him and placed her hands on his chest. She began to bat her lashes in a way that reminded him of Bulma. "Oh, Great Saiyaman, you came and helped me again," she said, her voice airy and silky. "What can I ever do to repay you?" Videl batted her lashes a few more times.

Gohan flushed under his helmet. "Uh, that's alright, Miss. No need to repay me. After all, it's a superhero's job to prote- **HEY**!!!! S-stop that!!"

Videl slid her hands up the green shirt of his Saiyaman costume. "Ummm, all these big muscles. I like that." She leaned forward.

Gohan tried to shrink away, but couldn't. He found himself rooted to the spot. What was he supposed to do? He'd never been this close to an attractive young woman before.

Videl closed her eyes and leaned forward. One hand slid from underneath Saiyaman's shirt and up to the helmet. She slowly took it off and placed a kiss on Gohan's lips . . .

*~*

**"AAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!"******

*THUNK*

Gohan toppled out of his bed and hit the floor- hard. He winced and sat up, shaking his head. _Where am I? _Looking around, he realized that he was in the safety of his home- not in a bank with Videl feeling all over him and trying to kiss him. Gohan flushed, remembering the dream. "What the heck brought that on?"

Just then his mother threw his door open. She curiously eyed her son, who was sitting on the floor wrapped in his sheets with a dazed look on his face. "Well. What happened to you?"

"I . . . just had a strange dream. That's all."

"Right. Well, you should be getting ready for school . . ."

"Okay Mom."

When Chichi left, Gohan kicked away the blankets and stood up. "I've gotta get this problem with Videl cleared up- and fast."


	2. I Sharpner's Idea

*~*

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ.

*~*

**EDITING COMPLETED: ****4/10/2004******

*~* Chapter Two *~*

Sharpner's Idea

Gohan slowly made his way to class that morning. As he walked through the halls of Orange Star High, he could only think of how he was going to face Videl after the dream he'd had last night. Before he entered his classroom, he took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what might happen when he saw Videl.

"Morning, Gohan," said Erasa with her usual smile on her face.

"Hey, Erasa, Sharpner . . . V-" His voice squeaked and he cleared his throat before continuing. "Videl."

Videl looked him over with her usual glare but said nothing.

Gohan slid into easy conversation with his other two friends, careful to keep his gaze off of Videl. He was afraid that he'd start to blush uncontrollably if a scene from last night's dream popped into his head.

Then came the announcement.

"All students report to the auditorium for a special announcement, all students report to the auditorium for a special announcement," said the principal over the intercom.

"I wonder what it could be," Gohan muttered as they headed down to the auditorium.

Videl crossed her arms over her chest. She could not believe that her father was actually going to go through with his dumb idea, despite all of her protests.  But that was just like her Dad- going about his business no matter what others thought.  "It's probably about my Dad's stupid contest," she gritted out angrily. 

"A contest?" asked Erasa.

The other girl nodded. "I'm not going to stick around and watch the principal announce it to the whole school." She walked off, shoving her way through the crowd of people in the hallway, knocking several scrawny freshmen to the ground.

"What's wrong with her?" Sharpner wondered.

Gohan sensed her distress and decided to follow her. "Hey, Videl! Wait up!"

Videl streaked throughout the halls, and, after finding an empty hallway, stopped and leaned against a group of lockers. She buried her head in her hands and sank to the floor. "H-how could he do this to me? He d-didn't even a-ask if I was o-okay with someone staying at our house!" She forced back some tears that had gathered in her eyes. "I- I don't want anyone to see how he acts at home . . . w-when he's drunk all the time and the way he just sits around watching his old fighting videos . . . the way he stares at himself in the mirror for HOURS on end and the way he doesn't speak to me unless I beg him to . . ."

Gohan stared at Videl as she sat there against the lockers, his sensitive Saiyan ears picking up her muffled speech.  He frowned out of concern. _Gosh . . . I didn't know she had it that bad . . . No wonder she's so grumpy all the time . . ._

Gohan forced all thoughts of his dream out of his head as he came closer to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright, Videl. I'm sure your dad wouldn't do anything to embarrass you or himself in front of someone . . ."

She shook her head furiously. "You don't know him, you d-" Videl cut off mid-sentence and froze. _Oh . . . no . . ._ "G-Gohan?"

"Yeah? I'm here."

_Shit . . . _"I would really appreciate it if you didn't mention what I just told you to anyone at school. I really didn't mean for you to overhear me . . ."

"Oh. Sorry. I promise that I won't tell anyone."

She glanced up at him. "I hate liars and secrets, Gohan. Please remember that."

Gohan gave her a tiny smile. _Oh, boy . . ._ "Right. Are you feeling better now?"

Videl nodded and stood up, rubbing her face with her hands.

"A-are you sure? Because you looked pretty upset and-"

"I'm FINE, Gohan."

"Oh." He hesitated, and then pulled a scrap of paper and a pen from his pocket. He began to scribble something down onto it. "H-here's m-my p-phone number, Videl. If you want to . . . talk or something, you can just . . . give me a call any time . . ." He handed the slip of paper to her.

Videl stared down at it and blinked several times. _What is he up to? _She wondered suspiciously as she jammed the paper into her pocket. "Uh, sure. Thanks."

Gohan's cheeks turned pink. "So . . ."

Videl cleared her throat and stared straight at him. "So."

"How about we go to that assembly now?"

"Gohan . . ." moaned Videl.

The boy shook his head. "I never thought that you were a quitter, Videl. You always like to fight to the very end. Now, walk into that auditorium with your head held up high and don't let this get to you."

Videl squared her shoulders. "You're right. You know, Gohan, you're a pretty descent guy after all."

"Thanks, I'd like to think so."

*~*

"There they are!" cried Erasa as she pointed to Gohan and Videl as they walked down the isle together, looking for a place to sit. She stood up and began to wave her arms around. "Over HERE!!!!"

Sharpner glared at the way Gohan placed his hand on the small of Videl's back as he guided her over to where they were sitting. "My, my, my. Don't the two of you look comfy?" he sneered when they took two empty seats next to them.

"Huh?" muttered Gohan. "What are you talking about?"

"Ignore Sharpner," Videl grumbled. She kept her eyes locked on the stage where the principal would soon be announcing her sentence for a crime she hadn't committed.

*~*

"I wasn't THAT bad, Videl," said Gohan as they walked back to class. The assembly had ended just a few minutes ago.

"Oh, yeah? You have to admit that the video about my Dad's school was pretty cheesy. And I don't remember me giving my consent to be in that thing, either," Videl replied. "Dad or whoever made that piece of shit obviously stole some home videos or something."

Erasa looked up at Gohan. "Are you going to enter the raffle?" she asked. "I know you're hiding some muscles under that shirt . . ."

Sharpner snickered and Gohan flushed.

"N-no, Erasa. I'm not going to." He looked down at Videl, who smiled thankfully up at him. "Besides, I'm not really into that fighting stuff."

"Well, I'M entering," huffed Sharpner. "There's no way I'm passing up a month's worth of free lessons at Hercule's school. Do you know how much money it takes to get into that place? Even thought my Dad's loaded, we couldn't possibly pay for it."

Videl paled. "I really wish you wouldn't, Sharpner. Please don't enter."

He shook his head. "Sorry, babe, but I'm working on becoming the World Champ one day. I've gotta take my opportunities as they come."

"Fine," snapped Videl. "Let's go, Gohan."

"Oh . . . uh, coming!"

Sharpner watched as Videl and the little bookworm quickened their pace, leaving him and Erasa behind. _Damn that Gohan! Why is Videl falling for that string bean instead of ME? I've gotta get Gohan out of the picture . . . Hmmm . . . I could enter him in that contest and make sure Videl finds out. She'd hate him for life after lying to her! Brilliant, Sharpner, brilliant!_

*~*

That afternoon, Sharpner left lunch early and went to the office where students could sign up for the contest. He spotted a box labeled 'Hercule Raffle' and grinned. _This must be it!_

Sharpner picked up two entry forms next to the box. He quickly filled out the first one with his information, placed a kiss on it, folded it up and slipped it into the box. He moved to the second entry form.

_Name?__ Son Gohan_

_Age?__ 18_

"I hope that's right . . . that kid probably skipped a couple of grades . . ."

_School?__ Orange Star High_

Sharpner was lucky that the entry form didn't ask for more info, because that was all he knew. _Ha! Take that, Son Gohan! When Videl finds out that you entered that contest behind her back, she'll be furious!!!!!!!_

*~*

Videl stared blankly out of the window as her English teacher began to read from a book. She stifled a yawn and closed her eyes. _Please, SOMETHING save me from this place! It feels like I'm rotting away . . ._

She glanced over at Sharpner who had fallen asleep on his lesson book and Erasa who was busy humming to herself while painting her nails a vibrant pink. Videl shook her head when she caught sight of Gohan taking notes and carefully listening to the teacher.

_He can be a real nerd sometimes. He never hangs out after school with us- he goes straight home like a momma's boy. But then again . . . His words from before flashed into her head._

_"I never thought that you were a quitter, Videl. You always like to fight to the very end. Now, walk into that auditorium with your head held up high and don't let this get to you."_

She sighed and focused her attention back to the window. _Just because he did some smooth talking earlier doesn't mean that I'm going to forget about his secret._ Oh, no, there was no way in hell that she was going to forget.

Just then, her phone rang. The teacher continued on as if nothing had happened, accustomed to her phone going off in the middle of class. Erasa looked up from her nails, Sharpner opened one eye lazily and Gohan dropped his pen as he leaned in to hear her conversation.

"Videl here, what's up? The bank? With hostages? Okay, I'm on my way." She stood up. "Sensei . . ."

"I understand, Videl. You may go."

"Thanks," she muttered and ran out of the classroom.

Gohan frowned. _The bank?__ Like . . . my dream? _He shook his head as he flushed and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. _NO, NOT like my dream at all! But still . . . she might need my help . . ._

Gohan faked several loud coughs to get the teacher's attention.

The sensei looked up from her book. "Would you like to get some water, Gohan?"

He leapt up. "Yes, of course. Be back in a while!"

*~*

When Videl arrived on the scene, the police officers informed her that most of the hostages had been released, but there were a few still inside with the robbers. She thanked him and went around the back of the building and snuck inside.

She crept down a long, dark hallway. _If I were a robber, where would I be . . . ?_

The loud voices of the robbers gave away their location. "Hurry up Lance!! The cops have probably called that chick already!"

Videl headed to the lobby. Sure enough, two big thugs were standing there with huge guns while another was lugging several bags of money over to them. Several people were huddled in one corner, shaking with fright.

"She's just a girl. We can take her!" cried the one she assumed was Lance.

Videl approached them with caution. _They look strong . . . but just because they have big muscles doesn't mean anything. Take my Dad for instance . . ._

*CREAK!!*

Videl froze and looked down at the loose floorboard on which she'd just stepped. "Damn it!"

It was too late to try and hide anywhere-- the thugs had spotted her.

"There she is Lance!" one of the thugs exclaimed.  "That's the one!"

The Lance guy grinned and flexed his muscles. He looked Videl up and down, then let out a laugh. "Hahahahah!!! Look at 'er boys. She's a little thing! Doesn't even reach my shoulders!!"

Videl was ticked. "Oh, yeah?! Well take THIS!!!" She landed a punch right in Lance's gut.

He stumbled backwards and rubbed his belly. "I think that . . . tickled!!" The other thugs laughed.

Lance attacked. With one swift punch, Videl was sent flying into the wall. The thug grabbed her by her hair and pulled her to her feet. He grabbed her shirt and tore it away.

"Well, lookie here boys! She's been hidin' stuff under that ugly t-shit of hers!" he bellowed.

Videl's stomach heaved with nausea. These guys were pathetic. _Maybe Dad was right . . . guys only want **one**** thing** . . ._

The thugs were leering at her as she stood there in her sports bra. Then she gathered up her courage and hit Lance in the face. Then she placed a kick in his groin.

The big guy fell forward onto his face with a groan.

"HEY! You took down Lance!" exclaimed one of the other thugs.

She rolled her eyes. "Really? And what are you boys gonna do about it?"

Before the two robbers could rely, Saiyaman flew through a window, shattering class and sending shards flying into the room, and then landed next to Videl in a brilliant display of theatrics.  Videl shook her head and rolled her eyes warily.

 "Are you alright, Miss?" he asked in his deep voice.

_Oh, great. It's Saiya-jerk. Today has not been my day . . . _"Yes, I'm fine. I don't need your help," she snapped angrily.

"I'm . . . sorry to hear that, Miss, but I'm going to have to help you anyway."

Videl rolled her eyes again. _I guess the guy can't take a hint._

Gohan eyed the thugs who were standing there with a look of surprise on their face. "D-did he just fly?" asked one of them.

"I sure did, fellows," said Saiyaman. "And you two are in a heap of trouble."

"Oh, yeah? Says who?"

"Says me!" cried Gohan. "I am the defender of love and justice! I am . . . the GREAT . . . SAIYAMAN!!!" __

The thugs began to laugh. "Let's get this clown." They ran towards Saiyaman with their fists raised, ready for a punch.

Gohan phased out. The thugs looked around, dazed. "Holy . . . where did he go?"

Videl snickered. "Behind you, boys . . ."

They turned around and each received a punch in the face. The two men collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"That'll teach you to . . . rob . . . b-ba . . ." Gohan drifted off as he caught sight of Videl standing there half-naked with her hands on her hips. He blushed wildly underneath his orange helmet. "Uh, what h-happened to your s-s-shirt?"

"It was ripped off," she stated bluntly, pointing to the white fabric on the floor.

"Oh. Y-you must be c-c-cold . . ."

Videl just stared at him.

Gohan shifted uncomfortably. He then removed his green tunic and tossed it to Videl. "There you go. Just . . . uh . . . put that on and . . . uh . . . you'll be . . . just fine!"

Videl stared down at the fabric in her hand, then up at Saiyaman. _Hmm . . . He doesn't look so bad without this thing on . . . _She slipped it over her head. It was a bit heavy, way too big for her and the cape dragged on the ground, but she'd manage. "Thanks."

"Um, no problem, Miss. You be careful now." Gohan turned to fly away.

"Oh, Saiyaman!"

He froze. She'd called his name like that in his dream. He was tempted to fly away, but once again, he found himself rooted to the spot, unable to move.

"I'm going to find out who you are," she said in a low, husky voice.

Gohan chuckled a bit. "Yes, you've . . . told me MANY times before, Miss."

"And when I do . . . I'm going to challenge you. In front of a large crowd. _Without_ your costume on."

"Really?"

"And I'm going to beat you."

"R-really?"

"Yep."

"Uh . . . okay. Can't wait till then! See ya!"

*~*

"My mom thinks he likes her," said Trunks wisely into the phone.

"Well, MY mom says that Gohan should _marry_ this Videl girl. Because she's rich, I think," replied Goten. He was sitting in the middle of his bedroom, a phone up his ear.

Trunks snorted. "So. _I'm_ rich but you don't see your mom telling Gohan to marry me, do ya?"

Goten wrinkled his nose. "Ewww, Trunks! You're being gross!"

"I'm trying to make a point, Goten. You don't get married because one person is rich."

"Then why DO you get married?"

"Because you love each other, dummy!" Trunks sighed. "Don't you know anything?"

"What's love?"

"That's when you're nice to a person and you kiss them a lot."

Goten frowned. "But . . . your Dad doesn't kiss your Mom. And he's not nice to her either. Your Dad's a poopy head!"

"He is not! He could whip your Dad's butt any day!"

"Uh-uh! You don't know that. You've never met my Dad! And besides, I thought we were talking about love and marriage."

"Oh. Right. Anyway, you don't want your brother to marry THIS girl."

"Uh . . . why not?"

"Her Dad is Hercule. That guy claimed that HE beat Cell and got all rich and famous for it. And I bet she's all mean and stuff."

Goten giggled. "Hercule's a poopy head too!"

Just then, Goten heard his brother enter the house. "I'm HOME!" he called.

"Ohhhhh, Trunks, Gohan's home. I'm gonna ask him if he's gonna marry that girl. Hold on!"

Goten clutched the cordless phone in his hand and bolted down the hallway. "Gohan, Gohan, Gohan! Trunks wants to know if you're gonna marry Videl! I wanna know too!"

Gohan stared down at his little brother. "Where'd you two get that idea from?"

"Momma said you would. And Trunks' Mom said that you like her and that would mean that you're gonna marry her. Are you gonna marry her?"

Gohan turned red and began to sputter incoherently until her managed to get out, "No! I . . . NO!!! Has everyone lost their _minds_?!"

Goten blinked as his brother stormed off towards his bedroom, muttering under his breath the whole way. He put the phone up to his ear. "Trunks-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I heard him. He sure is cranky."

*~*

_Not Goten and Trunks, too! This continues to get worse and worse . . ._

Gohan slumped down onto his bed. "And what was I thinking, giving her my number like that? She probably thinks that I was trying to hit on her or something!" He buried his head in the palm of his hands with a moan. "And WHY can't I get that image of her standing in the bank out of my head?! So what if she was _half naked_ . . ."

He fell backwards onto his bed and gripped his pillow. He placed it over his face and let out a scream of frustration.

"MOM!!!!! GOHAN'S TRYING TO **KILL** HIMSELF!!!!!!!" shouted Goten as he barreled into his brother's room and hopped on the bed, jumping up and down with the phone in his hand.

"Go away, twerp," mumbled Gohan.

Chichi rushed into the room. "What the . . . what happened to you Gohan?"

The older boy sat up and threw the pillow across the room, just missing his younger brother. "Nothing Mom."

Goten giggled. "Trunks said that you need to beat Videl up! His dad said it too!"

Chichi glared at her younger son. _Why do I let him hang around barbarians like Vegeta? _"Be quiet, Goten. Can't you see that your brother obviously needs some help here?"

Goten bounced off of the bed and let out a squeal. "Guess what, Mom? Gohan gave her his PHONE NUMBER!!" He made some kissing noises, darting out of the room as Gohan leapt up from the bed and tried to grab him.

Chichi shook her head as Gohan slouched back to the bed. "What's this about phone numbers?"

"I gave Videl our number. She was . . . having some personal problems and I thought that she might want to talk to someone, so . . ."

Hearts formed in Chichi's eyes. "Oh, Gohan! That is so sweat!"

Gohan gave her a nervous grin. "It was a friendly gesture, Mom. Nothing more."

Goten bounced back into the room. "And what was that about her being HALF-NAKED?!!"

Chichi's eyes widened. "HALF _WHAT_?!! Gohan . . ."

"I-it's not what you think, Mom . . ."

"Then you'd better explain, mister!"

He told her about how he'd rescued her from the clutches of two goons, slightly exaggerating on the part where he'd taken down the crooks.

"That's even more romantic!" cried Gohan's mother.

Gohan sighed. "That reminds me . . . I need to go over to Capsule Corp. See ya later, Mom!" He hopped out of his window and flew off.

*~*

"Well, hello, lover boy!" snickered Vegeta as he eyed Kakkarot's eldest spawn with mild interest. "Trunks has kept us well updated on your love life."

Bulma smacked the back of her husband's head. "Ignore him. Come on, Gohan. Let's go into the kitchen."

Gohan followed her. "Thanks Bulma. I thought we could talk."

She smiled and shook her head. "So Chichi was no help, huh?"

"No. All she talked about was romance and marriage and all that stuff."

Bulma laughed and took a seat at the kitchen table. She waited for Gohan to do the same before continuing. "So what's happened this time?"

Gohan filled her in on the details of the day's events, guessing that it was okay to tell her about Videl's problem.

"Poor girl. I didn't know things were that bad in the Satan home," muttered Bulma. "But I'm glad you're trying to be Videl's friend, even though she's less than polite to you sometimes."

"She's a good girl. And okay, once you get to know her. But if she ever found out that I- little Gohan, the resident bookworm at Orange Star High- was really Saiyaman AND the Gold Fighter, I'm sure she'd flip. She probably wouldn't even speak to me again." Gohan rested his chin in the palm of his hand.

"I think you should just tell her everything then. She said that she hates liars and secrets, right?"

"Yeah . . . but then imagine what she'd do if she found out her father is the biggest fraud on the face of the earth . . ."

Bulma thought that over, then nodded. "Okay, so, leave the Cell stuff out. If she found out about THAT, I'm sure it would ruin her life."

Gohan shook his head. "I can't do it, Bulma. I just . . . can't. If she knew I was Saiyaman and the Gold Fighter, she'd probably put two and two together and come to her own conclusion that I was there at the Cell Games. Videl's really smart."

Bulma threw up her hands and stood up. "So what was the point of you coming over here if you're not going to take my advice?!" She poked Gohan in the chest, causing him to back up a few steps. "I'm telling you Gohan- tell her NOW! Women hate to be lied to."

"But . . . Videl's just a girl."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "You get it from your father . . . Look, it would be better if she heard the truth from YOU, not someone else."

"I'll just have to be extra careful, okay? She- or anyone else- WON'T find out. And besides, the real reason that I came over here was to have you fix the Saiyaman watch. I don't think that it'll work now that I've given Videl my tunic."

"No, it'll work. Just try it."

"Okay . . ." He pushed the red button. The Saiyaman costume appeared, tunic and everything. "Wow!"

"It'll automatically replace any part of the costume that's missing."

"Thanks, Bulma."

Trunks came into the kitchen at that moment, a cordless phone in his hand. "Oh, Gohan, you're here."

Gohan stared at the phone in the young Saiyan's hand. He could hear Goten's loud voice on the other end, screaming something about some chocolate pudding Chichi had just made. "Gee, you two must have a lot to talk about . . ."

Trunks blinked several times. "Oh, sure, sure. Why are you here?"

"Oh, no reason." _If I tell you, then you'll blab it to Goten, who will then tell Mom._ "I should be going now. See you later guys."

*~*

Videl tossed her shorts onto the floor with a sigh and slipped into a loose pair of sweat pants. It was Friday night and she had noting planned, as usual. She flopped onto her bed and turned her tv on, then began to channel surf, not really paying much attention to what was on the television.

Videl's thoughts were on her latest encounter with Saiyaman. She snickered. The guy was _obviously_ embarrassed when he saw her without a shirt on. She glanced at Saiyaman's tunic lying on her dresser. _I don't understand that guy at all. He's an awesome fighter, yet he seems to lack some discipline or something. Not to mention the fact that he's a bit goofy . . ._

Suddenly her door flew open, startling the young raven haired girl. Hercule stepped into her room and looked around.

"What's all this stuff in the floor?" he asked, nudging a pile of clothes with his foot.

"Clothes."

"I can see that. I meant, what is it DOING on the FLOOR?"

She let out a huge sigh and snatched up the shorts that she'd just taken off. Something white fluttered out of the pocket and landed on the carpet. Videl quickly picked it up so that her father would not see.

She picked up the rest of the clothes and shoved them into her father's arms. "Could you take these downstairs for me? I got a little ruffed up at the bank today . . ."

"Oh, uh, sure . . ." muttered Hercule. He peeked over the mountain of clothes in his arm, noticing the strange green shirt on his daughter's dresser. "What's that? That looks like . . . part of that clown Saiyaman's costume!"

Videl said nothing.

"What are you doing with that? Is he stalking you? I'll have every cop in Satan City looking for him-"

"No, Dad, it's not Saiyaman's. It's for a play at school," she neatly fibbed, knowing that her father would buy it.

"Oh. . . Say, Videl . . . do you think a lot of kids at your school were interested in the contest? How many people do you think entered?"

"I don't know Dad. A lot, I'm sure."

"Right. I'll . . . uh, be going now."

Videl shut the door behind her father once he'd left. She then looked down at the slip of paper she held in her hand. _What's this? _She read the series of numbers written on the paper. _Gohan's number. Gohan's . . . number, huh? This gives me an idea . . ._


	3. I Saturday with Videl

*~*

Disclaimer: I don't won DBZ. The plot is mine, so ASK before you use an idea of mine.

*~* 

**EDITING COMPLETED: ****4/10/2004**

*~* Chapter Three *~*

Saturday with Videl

Gohan awoke the next morning to the sound of his mother's voice shouting loudly. "IF YOU DON'T GET OFF THAT PHONE RIGHT NOW, SON GOTEN, I'LL-"

He then heard his brother reply, "I gotta go, Trunks. I'll talk to you later."

Gohan smiled and shook his head. It was just another normal day in the Son household.  His mother's shrieking at something Goten did was most certainly not out of the ordinary.  He stretched and climbed out of his bed. As he opened his door, his little brother streaked past him in a blur.

"Morning Gohan! Better not make Mom mad! She's got her frying pan out today!" With a giggle, he headed outside to play, far from the wrath of Chichi.

_That kid . . . No wonder Mom is so frazzled by the time I get home after school!_

Gohan walked into the kitchen where his mother stood at the stove, flipping pancakes. "Hey, Mom."

She turned around, a huge smile on her face. "There's my GOOD boy! How are you this morning, Gohan?"

"Just fine. But I'll feel a whole lot better when my stomach is full of that delicious food you're cooking . . ." replied Gohan.

She beamed. "Oh, well, here!" She handed him a plate full of pancakes. "Your brother will just have to wait for his. He's been such a naughty boy lately . . ."

Gohan grinned as he sat down at the table and began to eat. It had taken him a few years to learn how to win his mother over when she was mad, but he'd finally mastered it.

*~*

Goten made sure he was out of sight of the house before he pulled the cordless phone from underneath his clothes. "Hey, Trunks! You still there?"

"Yeah. Gee, what took you so long?"

"Sorry! I wanted to make sure Mom couldn't see me."

Trunks sighed. "Never mind! Look, I'm bored. Dad refuses to train with me today and Mom wants me to READ. Yuck! Can you come over here?"

"And how am I supposed to do that, genius? I can't fly!"

"Gohan can, STUPID. Ask him if he can give you a ride over here. Then we can spar and maybe you can spend the night."

Goten grinned. "I'd like that. I'm afraid I'll end up dead if Mom hits me on the head with that frying pan again!"

"Go-"

*BEEP*

"Uh, hold on Trunks! Someone's on the other end!" Goten pushed the flash button. "Yeah? Hello?"

*~*

Videl woke up early that morning, remembering her mission-- to find out anything and everything about the mysterious Son Gohan.  She took Gohan's number from its hiding place- underneath her pillow- and stared down at it.  Then she looked at the clock. Seven.

_No . . . it's too early to call someone._

She put the piece of paper back in its hiding place and went down for some breakfast. By the time she returned to her room, it was eight fifteen.

_I suppose that it's late enough to call_. She picked up the phone and stared at it. For some reason, her heart was pounding in her chest. She shook her head furiously. Come on Videl! It's just GOHAN!

She forced herself to dial his number. As it began to ring, her palms began to sweat.

Finally someone picked up. "Yeah? Hello?"

"Um . . . is this the S-Son residence?"

"Uh . . . yep! What can I do for you?" The boy on the other end giggled. Videl blinked at the childish action. Who was this?

"I-is Gohan there?"

"Yeah . . . you wanna talk to him or something?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Hold on. I was talkin' to my friend on the other end and he's gonna be mad that I have to go. Hold on, don't leave . . ."

After a minute or so, the person on the end of the phone came back. "Hey, are you still there?"

"Yes."

"Good. You wait a little more, okay? I gotta go back to the house. You see, I'm not supposed ta be on the phone right now and I ran away to talk to my friend. I'll probably get hit in the head with the frying pan again . . ."

_O-kay . . . This MUST be a younger brother or something . ._ .

There was some shuffling from the other end. "Okay. Lady, are you still there?"

"I am."

"Good. You, uh, wouldn't happen to be Videl, by any chance? Would ya?"

"That's me kiddo. Why?"

The young boy on the other end giggled uncontrollably. "We've been talking about you for the past couple of days . . ."

Videl raised an eyebrow. So Gohan has been talking to his family about me? "Really? Why?"

"Well-"

"SON GOTEN!!!! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO STAY OFF THAT PHONE! SOMEONE ELSE COULD BE CALLING HERE!! DO YOU WANT ME TO TAKE OUT THE FRYING PAN?!!"

"Gee, Ma, there IS someone on the phone. And it's not Trunks. It's a GIRL named VIDEL for GOHAN!" The young boy made kissing noises.

Videl laughed.

"GO-ten! Give me that phone now!" she heard Gohan cry.

"Nope! Come and catch me!"

There was more shuffling and then-

"Aww, man! No fair! You're faster than me!"

There was even more shuffling and THEN-

"V-Videl? You here?"

"Yes, Gohan. I'm here."

"Oh, good. I thought my little brother scared you away." He entered his room and shut the door behind him.

"No. He was cute. Goten, huh?"

Gohan chuckled. "Yeah. He's a little demon."

She chuckled. "Ah, Gohan, I was wondering . . . if I could come over to your place today."

Gohan panicked. "W-why?"

"You're really good at . . . math, and . . . well . . . I basically suck at it. So I was wondering if you could tutor me today before that test we're having on Monday."

Gohan rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants. _Oh, gosh, she wants to come OVER HERE?_ "Uh, okay . . . at what time?"

"How about . . . an hour? Is that okay?"

"Y-yeah, sure! That's just . . . peachy!" _Peachy?__ That sounded so stupid . . ._ One would think that Saiyaman would be able to come up with something better than 'peachy'!

"Let me . . . give you my address." Gohan told her where he lived.

"Excellent! I'll be over in an hour. See you then."

"See . . . you . . ."

Gohan hung up and placed the phone on the bed next to him. He got up and, like zombie, walked into the kitchen. Goten, who was seated in front of a plate of food and his mother who stood at the stove looked at him.

"So?" asked Chichi eagerly.  Her son had received his first call from a young, eligible girl his age, so naturally she was curious. 

Gohan sank into a chair. "She's . . . coming . . ." he whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"He said she's coming!" exclaimed Goten. "Videl's coming over? Huh?"

Gohan nodded.

Goten jumped up out of his seat. "Oh, yeah! Cool! Now we finally get to meet her!"

Chichi gasped. The daughter of one of the richest men in the world was coming over to HER home. "Oh my . . . what should I wear?" She began to frantically pat her clothes and hair, trying to decide if her appearance was acceptable.

"You look fine, Mom," said Gohan. "Just make sure Hurricane Goten here doesn't cause too much trouble."

Chichi sent Goten a wicked look that caused the young boy to shrink back. "You, mister, will be on your nest behavior. Don't mention Saiyaman or Cell, or else you won't be able to use the phone for a month."

Goten gasped in horror. "You wouldn't! I'll be good! I promise."

*~*

Forty-five minutes later, Videl was in her copter, flying overhead of the area where Gohan said he lived. She began to search for his house, which wouldn't be too hard to spot. There was nothing but trees and fields and the occasional little home.

Videl was proud of her newest plan to find out Gohan's mysterious secret. She would try to find out as much as she could about Gohan's family and, if she was ever left alone, would snoop around a bit.  Her goal was to get into Gohan's bedroom and have some time alone in it. Who knew what she would uncover?

The phone in her copter rang. She pushed the speakerphone button, keeping her eyes on the land below her.. "Videl here."

"Hey girl!"

"Hey, Erasa. What's up?"

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to go shopping with me today."

"Oh, sorry Erasa. I'm going to spend the day with Gohan," Videl said, instantly regretting it.

" . . . As in a DATE?!" shrieked Erasa in surprise. 

"NO! He's helping me with some math," said Videl, firmly sticking to her story.

Erasa snickered, instantly recognizing Videl's statement as a lie. "Math? _Right._ You know, you can tell me the truth, Videl. How long have we been friends?"

"I know you like him, Erasa. We're NOT going on a date. He's yours."

Erasa did not reply for a while. "I guess you haven't noticed."

"Noticed what?" Videl asked distractedly. Was that Gohan's house down there?

"The way he stares at you during class. And how he's always nice to you even when you're mean to him."

Videl's copter almost dropped out of the sky at Erasa's accusations. "So?! This is _Gohan_ we're talking about.  He's nice to _everyone_."

"It's obvious that he's got a crush on you!"

Videl laughed. "GOHAN? No way. Don't be silly Erasa."

"Okay, Videl. Don't believe me. But you'll see soon."

"Come on . . ."

"No. Why do you think I haven't asked him out yet? It's not because I'm shy- you know me better than that. I'm not going to throw myself at a guy who doesn't want me. Sure, I flirt with him, but that's it."

"Oh, Erasa . . ."

"Shut up and have fun on your DATE, Videl," replied her friend with laughter in her voice. "See ya!"

As Videl ended the call, she spotted a boy standing just in front of a dome-like house, waving his arms up at her. _That must be Gohan_. She carefully landed her copter a safe distance from his house.

Gohan shoved his hands into his pocket and smiled at her as she climbed out of her vehicle. "Hello, Videl."

"Gohan," she said in greeting.

"So . . . why don't you come inside and meet my family?"

She nodded. Gohan opened the door for her and led her into his house. Videl looked around, her eyes taking in every detail.

His home was way smaller than hers, but it was very cozy. The furniture was arranged with care and sweet country air flowed throughout the rooms. Videl smiled. "This is a lovely home, Gohan. You're very lucky to have a place like this."

Gohan nodded. "I guess a big mansion like yours could get a bit lonely. My Mom and little brother are inside the kitchen." He hesitantly took her hand and led her to the kitchen.

Videl put the voice with the face when she saw a little boy with unruly, black hair in a strange orange and blue outfit sitting at the kitchen table with a phone sitting next to his elbow. _Aww__ . . . isn't he cute?_

"Uh, Videl, this is my mother, Son Chichi and my little brother, Son Goten."

Chichi sized the girl up. _She could use a little work with her hair and clothes, but I suppose she'll do . . ._ "Hello," she said, holding out her hand. "Pleased to finally meet you. Gohan mentions you a lot."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow and shook Chichi's hand. "I heard that from Goten.  I've been meaning to ask him about that . . ."

Gohan flushed. "Did you have to mention that, Mom?" he hissed.

Goten slid out of his seat and walked up to Videl. "Wow. You sure are pretty!" he exclaimed. "No wonder Gohan likes you!"

"I think . . . I'm going to pass out," murmured Gohan as he rubbed his temples.

Videl glanced up at Gohan. Was Erasa right? Did he really have a crush on her? She shook her head and dismissed the thought.  She wasn't there to find out about the boy's love interests.

Chichi let out a sigh. "Go on outside, Goten. And take the phone with you."

The little boy let out an excited YIPEE and ran off.

"No need to be embarrassed, Gohan. He's just a kid," said Videl.

"Sure. If you say so. Let's just go to my room and get started, okay?"

Good, his bedroom.  She nodded and followed him down the hallway. When she entered his room, Gohan ran a hand through his hair. He'd never been so nervous about anything before in his life.  For some reason, having Videl in his home, his _bedroom_, seemed very intimate and a little uncomfortable . . .

Videl looked around, careful to take note of every little thing. His bed was made, the carpet was vacuumed and the soft scent of sandalwood drifted throughout the room. Besides the bed, he had a large bookcase, a dresser, and a desk facing the window. _So, he's a neat freak . . . and everything is so simple . . ._

"I like your room," she said to him.

Gohan felt some of his apprehension slide away. "R-really?"

"Yeah." She wondered over to the bookcase. Advanced Algebra . . . Calculus . . . Physics . . . other boring school-oriented books. Videl noticed several photos on the shelf above her. She stepped back to get a better look.

The first one was of a man who looked like an older version of Goten and a young boy hanging form his arm. Her gaze moved to the next one. She raised an eyebrow. This must be a picture of his friends . . . they're all really old though . . . A large group of people stood in that one- ten people in all, if you counted the little baby. She pointed to the picture. "Who are these people? Especially the green guy."

Gohan reached above her and took it off the shelf. He remembered the picture. The group had taken it shortly after the Cell Games and before Mirai Trunks had returned to his own time. Gohan had managed to gather Android 18, Krillin, Bulma and Chibi Trunks, Vegeta, Yomcha, Tien, Piccolo, Mirai Trunks for a picture. He'd forced Bulma's father to take it for him so that he could be in the picture. _Ack__, Gohan! You should've taken that down!_  But now he was going to have to answer her question.

"They're my . . . friends. They're really like second family to me, I guess. Most of them were friends of my Dad's who sorta grew on me. And the green guy is Piccolo, one of my best friends."

Dad? She hadn't seen another man in the house.  Maybe he was at work? "Did you say your dad? Where's he?"

Gohan placed the picture back carefully and picked up the one next to it. "This is my Dad. He's . . . dead."

Videl gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry! I wouldn't have asked if I'd known-"

"No, it's alright. I know he's okay where he is."

"Still . . ."

Gohan chuckled. "Don't worry about it. How about I go get some snacks before we get started?"

_Perfect. _"Okay." Videl waited until Gohan left and then almost attacked his desk. She shuffled through the papers on his desk. She frowned when she realized that they were all blank. "Where does he keep his juicy stuff?" 

She began to put the papers back in their place when her eye caught sight of a drawing lying on the desk. Videl gasped. It was beautiful, yet disturbing at the same time. There was a fierce looking dragon emerging from seven balls, each with a different number of stars on it. _Did Gohan do this? If he did . . . it's amazing!_

Videl set down the drawing and sat on the floor. _It looks like there's more to Gohan than I'd thought . . ._

*~*

"What are they doing now?"

"Shhh!" hissed Goten into the phone. "Shut up! I can't hear." He crept up to Gohan's window and peeked inside. "Looks like they're sitting on the floor doing some homework."

"That's all? They're not kissing or anything?"

"No. If they WERE, then I would have TOLD you."

"Shut up, _baka_."

Goten pressed his face against the glass window. "Oh, oh, oh! They're saying something!"

"What?"

"Something about . . . the square root of negative one . . . I don't get it. Is that some sort of teenage slang?"

Trunks let out an exasperated sigh. "That's math, Goten. _Math._"

"Oh."

The two boys were silent for a while.

"Go-ten! Now what are they doing? Mom keeps asking me about them and I don't have anything good to tell her!"

Goten's eyes widened. Gohan and Videl were leaning closer to each other. "I think they're gonna kiss . . .!" He leaned even more on the window, trying to get a better look.

*SQUEAK* *CRUNCH*

The hinges on Gohan's window snapped, and little Goten fell into his brother's room, hitting the floor with a thunk. He sat up and rubbed his head. "Ouchie!"

Videl's laugh caught Goten's attention. He looked up, straight into his brother's furious eyes. "Oh, hi, Gohan . . . What's up?"

Gohan picked up his little brother and took the phone out of his hand. "Spying, were you?" He then turned to the phone. "GOODBYE, Trunks!" He hung up.

"And you . . ." said Gohan, turning back to his little brother.

Videl stood up. "Let him go, Gohan. He's too cute to be mad at."

With a sigh, Gohan set down the younger boy. "Get out of here, squirt."

Goten stopped to thank Videl for saving him from the evil clutches of his older brother before he bounced out of the room.

Videl stretched. "How about we take a break, Gohan? We've been studying for hours."

"That sounds like a good idea. Uh . . . We could watch tv or something . . ."

Videl shook her head and plopped down on his bed. "How about we talk?"

Gohan blinked. "Okay . . . about what?"

"You."

_Where is she going with this?_ Gohan regarded her a little suspiciously. "What do you want to know?"

Videl pulled on Gohan's hand, forcing him to take a seat on the bed next to her. "I was . . . admiring the drawing on your desk. The one with the dragon and the seven balls . . ."

"Oh . . . that."

"Did you draw it?"

Gohan nodded.

"It's very good. I didn't know you were so gifted, Gohan. Where'd you the idea for it?"

The young Saiyan fell back on his bed, getting comfortable. "From a legend. I don't think you've ever heard about it."

Videl smiled. "We have time. You could . . . tell me."

Gohan thought this over. I suppose it won't hurt to tell her about the Dragonballs. "Okay then. My Dad told me all about this when I was just a little kid, younger than Goten. It goes like this: There are seven legendary magical balls scattered all over the world called Dragonballs. They are each labeled with a different number of stars on them as a way to . . . I don't know, keep track of them or something. Anyway, when all seven balls are gathered and are in the same place, the Eternal Dragon arises from them and grants the person who found the balls two wishes. And when the two wishes are granted, the Dragonballs scatter to be found again." 

Videl raised an eyebrow and looked down at Gohan. "And you believe that? There's no such thing as magic. That stuff is all smoke and mirrors and light tricks. And dragons don't exist."

Gohan just chuckled. _Boy,__ is she wrong . . ._

"What? What's so funny?"

"How do you know magic doesn't exist? Just because you've never seen it before?"

Videl rolled her eyes. "Have YOU?" When Gohan didn't answer, she looked at him suspiciously. "Gohan . . . have you?"

He sighed. "You're not going to stop bugging me about this if I don't answer, are you?" She shook her head. "Fine. Just . . . promise you won't tell anyone about this."

"I promise!"

Gohan rolled off of his bed and knelt down on the ground. He reached under his bed and pulled something out. He sat back down on the bed and showed Videl what he held in his hand.

She gasped. "I-is it a Dragonball?"

He nodded. "It's the four star ball. I went and found it after . . . someone made a wish. This ball is special . . . it's been passed down through my family for a while." 

"Wow . . . I've never seen anything like it!"

Gohan put the Dragonball back in its place. "Now do you believe me?"

"Yeah. But . . . have you ever made a wish on it?" asked Videl.

Gohan nodded slowly. "I . . . tried to wish back my Dad once."

Videl's eyes widened. "But-"

The young Saiyan shook his head. "Forget I said that. That doesn't make any sense, does it? If I made that wish, then he'd be here right now, right_?" It's not like I can tell her that my Dad had already died . . ._

"Oh, Gohan . . . I just keep saying the wrong thing . . ."

Neither of them said anything.

Videl nibbled on her bottom lip. Maybe this was a mistake. I feel so bad, coming here and being nosy like this. She hesitantly glanced at Gohan, who'd turned his back to her. She suspected that he could be crying, but she couldn't be sure. _You can be such a bitch sometimes Videl . . ._

Before Videl could say anything to console Gohan, Chichi called them for lunch.

Gohan stood. "Come on, we don't want to keep my mother waiting. She might just pull out her frying pan again . . ."

*~*

When everyone had taken their seats at the table, Chichi began to dish out the food. As she did so, she noticed the frown on Videl's face and the way Gohan hadn't said a word to her yet. She began to wonder about what they'd done in Gohan's room.

Goten began to wolf down his rice immediately, stopping in between bites to take a chug of water or grab a drumstick from the plate in the middle of the table.

Gohan picked at his with his chopsticks. Chichi frowned. _That is so unlike a Saiyan . . ._

"Is something wrong with the food, Gohan?" asked Chichi.

Her eldest son looked up. "No. Not at all. I'm . . . not really hungry, that's all."

A look of guilt passed over Videl's face. She set down her chopsticks. "Look, I'm sorry Gohan. I shouldn't have asked about your Dad or the Dragonballs-"

Goten's cup hit the table with a clank and rolled to the floor and Chichi's jaw dropped.

"-and I'm REALLY sorry. I didn't mean to get you upset."

"Videl-" began Gohan.

"No, no, no. Let me finish. I have to admit that I was snooping around your desk a bit, or else I wouldn't have found your sketch. And I was just being plain nosey when I asked about those photos on your bookshelf."

"Videl, I-"

"And I feel REALLY bad about everything. It's just that . . . you never talk about yourself at school, Gohan, so I couldn't help but be a little curious."

Gohan smiled at her. "So are you saying that you only came here to gather some information on me, huh?"

Videl blushed. "Well . . . yeah."

Gohan's laugh shocked Videl. "I knew something wasn't right. Math is your best subject."

"But . . . you let me come over anyway?"

"Yeah. I understand."

Chichi clapped her hands, not really sure of what had really passed between the two earlier. "Well! With that said and done, let's eat, huh?"

*~*

An hour later, Gohan stared up at the sky as Videl's copter flew out of sight. She'd decided to leave after lunch. Gohan hadn't protested- he could tell that she was a bit embarrassed about being caught snooping.

Chichi joined her son outside and shaded her eyes with her hand as she looked up too. "That was . . . interesting."

"Yeah."

Chichi glanced at her son. "And you really don't mind? I mean, she was basically-"

"I don't mind."

"Well, she doesn't seem all that nice to me," huffed Chichi.  

Gohan smiled. "It was just harmless curiosity, Mom. She's really not that bad. After all, she confessed _and _apologized, didn't she?"

"Hmm . . . Sometimes, Gohan, I think you're just too understanding."

Goten clutched his mother's skirts. "Don't worry Gohan. I like her too. It's okay if you marry her now."


	4. I International Hercule Day Part One: Th...

*~*

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. The plot is mine.

*~*

**EDITING COMPLETED: ****4/10/2004******

*~* Chapter Four *~*

International Hercule Day: Part One

The Drawing

Gohan ignored his alarm clock as it sounded at six am. He placed his pillow over his head with a grunt and rolled over. He knew what day it was. Or rather, what _tomorrow_ was.

_Maybe if I stay in bed long enough, tomorrow won't come, or I'll sleep right through it . . ._

"Gohan! GOHAN! GOHAN!!! Wake up or else you'll be late for school!" his mother called.

He groaned and sat up. "I'm up, I'm up . . ." he grumbled. Gohan climbed out of his bed and changed his clothes. He shuffled into the kitchen and sat at the table.

Goten eyed his older brother. "You look really bad. What's wrong with you?"

Chichi put a plate of food in front of the younger Saiyan and turned to her older son. She slapped the back of her hand on his forehead. "Are you sick?"

Gohan winced. "No. You know what tomorrow is, Mom."

"Yes, I do. I try not to think about it, but . . ."

Goten looked up. "What are you two talking about?" When no one answered him, he began to pout. "I don't like to be left out!"

Gohan stood up and grabbed his book bag. "Tomorrow, Goten, is the anniversary of the day that I defeated Cell . . . the day Dad died." He turned to his mother. "I'm going to head out early, okay?"

"Okay, Gohan."

Goten looked down at his feet. He knew all about Cell and Gohan. "Will big brother be okay?" asked Goten.

Chichi sighed. "I . . . yes, he will. He always gets like this around this time of the year." 

_I HOPE he'll be fine . . ._

*~*

Videl watched as Gohan walked into class that morning. She hadn't spoken to him since she'd left his house after THE incident. He still looked bummed, and she wondered if he was still upset about the things she'd said.  He'd SAID that everything was fine, but . . .

Erasa noticed Gohan's bleak mood too and, as he took his seat, asked, "Are you okay?"

Gohan just nodded and placed his head on his desk.

Erasa pulled Videl aside. "What did you do to him?" she hissed.

"What?"

"Over the weekend. What happened?"

Videl told Erasa what had happened, but left out the Dragonball part—after all, it was private. "I feel really bad. I thought that we'd . . . made up at his house though."

Erasa shook her head. "I don't believe you Videl. Such a sensitive guy like that . . ."

"Hello, ladies!" interrupted Sharpner. He threw his arms around both of the girls. "Isn't this a fine Monday morning?"

Videl rolled her eyes and plucked Sharpner's arm off of her shoulders. "It will be, once you _leave me alone_."

Sharpner chuckled. "Harsh, Videl. Harsh."

"What's got you in such a good mood?" asked Erasa.

"You know what tomorrow is, don't you girls?"

This got Gohan's attention. He looked up at them.

"Please, don't remind me," muttered Videl as she took her seat and put her feet on the table. "That's all my Dad could talk about."

"It's a time to celebrate life!" exclaimed Sharpner. "Not to mention the fact that we're out of school, and that there's a parade and a dance that day, too."

"What are you guys talking about?" Gohan stared at them, a confused look on his face.

"Y-you mean you don't know about International Hercule Day?" Erasa questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh . . . no. Should I?"

Sharpner snorted. "YEAH! Hercule defeated Cell on that day, you know."

"O-oh. Right." Gohan quickly began to lose interest.

"You guys will be coming to the parade, right?" asked Videl. "I'm going to be in it."

"Really?" squealed Erasa. "How cool!"

"The only thing I'm interested in is the dance," said Sharpner. "I can't wait till the drawing this afternoon."

Just then, a boy walked up to Videl. "U-uh, Videl, I, uh, hope our names come out of the draw together," he stammered, turning pink. "I . . . well . . . YOU'RE HOT!" he cried, attracting the attention of almost everyone in the class.

Videl sighed in disgust and shoved the boy away from her. The boy went toppling into Gohan, who helped him onto his feet.

As he ran away, Gohan shook his head. "That wasn't very nice, Videl."

"I hate this. It's so _stupid_," she practically snarled.

Gohan scratched the back of his head. "I don't get it. A drawing?"

"Oh, you're new to Orange High. I forgot about that, Gohan," said Erasa. "Every year since Videl's dad defeated Cell, Orange Star High has had this tradition. The day before International Hercule Day, there's this drawing. All the homerooms put the names of the boys in one box and the names of the girls in another. Then, the teacher pulls a name from the boy's box and one from the girls. If your name comes out, you have to go to the dance with the other person. Each homeroom has its own drawing, and it's sort of cool to see who ends up together." 

Videl shook her head. "I think it's just stupid. Of course, it was one of my Dad's bonehead ideas that the school ate up."

Erasa giggled. "You just say that because you've never gone before. It's a really beautiful dance."

Gohan had to agree with Videl. It DID sound pretty stupid. "I hope my name doesn't come out," said Gohan.

Sharpner snickered. "I'm sure no one else wants your name to come out either."

Erasa elbowed Sharpner in the gut. "We'll just have to wait till this afternoon."

*~*

The teacher glanced up at the clock. Five minutes before the final bell rang. She sat down her book and smiled at the class. "You all know what time it is. Its time for the draw!"

Applause and hoots erupted from the class, or everyone except for Videl and Gohan. The teacher waited until the class was quiet to place two boxes in front of her. She shook them up and reached her hand into the box that was labeled GIRLS.

She left her hand in for a while, drawing out the suspense. The class was absolutely silent as they waited for the teacher to call out a name. The teacher drew out a tiny slip of white paper. She slowly unfolded it.

"Well, THIS is a surprise. Our girl this year is . . . VIDEL!!"

The class roared in approval.

Videl groaned and proceeded to bang her head against her desk. "No . . . no . . . no . . ." she grunted.

Gohan sent her a look of sympathy. "It'll be okay, Videl," he said supportively as Erasa rubbed her friends back.

The class quieted down as the sensei put the girl's box to the side and placed her hand into the boy's box. She took out another piece of paper and unfolded it.

"This year's boy is . . . GOHAN!"

"**_NO, NO, NO_**!!" cried Videl over the applause and cat calls. She began to bang her head against the desk even harder.

Gohan just sat there, not believing what he'd heard. "Oh. My. God," he whispered.

"Stop that, Videl! You're going to hurt yourself!" Erasa cried, pulling on Videl's shoulders.

Videl sat up. "PLEASE, let this be a nightmare. PLEASE," she moaned.
    
    Sharpner swore. "I don't believe this! He won AGAIN!"

*~*

Ten minutes after the bell had rung, Gohan and Videl were still sitting in their seats. The classroom was completely empty except for them.

"I don't believe this," said Videl dully.

"Neither do I."

"There goes my night of watching romance movies and eating popcorn," she murmured.
    
    The Saiyan chuckled. "You watch romance movies?  You don't seem like the type who'd watch-"

"Shut up. It was a joke."

"Oh. Uh, Videl . . ."

"What is it, Gohan?"

"I . . . uh . . . I've never been to a dance before," confessed Gohan.

"Well, neither have I."

"Oh. It's nice to know we're on the same level here."

Videl sighed. "Well, at least I didn't get stuck with someone I absolutely hate . . ."

"You don't hate me? That's good to know," Gohan murmured, still a bit dazed.

Videl ignored him. "What time should I pick you up? The dance starts at seven."

"Um . . . aren't _I_ supposed to pick _you_ up?"

"The last time I checked, you didn't have a copter."

"I . . . might be able to get one . . ."

"Can you pilot one?"

"It can't be that hard, can it?"

Videl glared at him. "I'll pick you up. I don't want to fall out of the sky and crash tomorrow night."

"N-no, no. This is your first dance. It's got to be . . . just right, you know?"

"I SAID I'll pick you up!! It's not that big of a deal!"

"I'm picking you up, Videl. That's final."

She sighed again and threw her hands up. "Fine. Whatever. Just as long as you shut up about it."

"Okay. So . . . I'll need your address and phone number."

Videl ripped a piece of paper from her notebook and scribbled her information down. "I'm going to get going now." She stood up and gathered her stuff and headed to the door.

"Wait! Videl!"

She turned around. "What?"

"Do . . . you have a dress? What color is it? I want to get some flowers to match."

Videl rolled her eyes. "I DON'T wear dresses. And you don't have to get any flowers, Gohan." With that, she left.

*~*

"And she told me not to get any flowers," said Gohan.

Bulma raised an eyebrow and looked up from her newest invention. "Oh, she _definitely_ wants flowers."

"But she said that she didn't."

The blue haired woman sighed. "That's how women are. If they say they don't want something like flowers or candy, then they probably want it."

Gohan shook his head. "Maybe I should be taking notes . . ."

Bulma tossed him a pen and a tablet. "Listen carefully, Gohan. If you want to get this girl to like you, then your going to have to-"

"I don't want her to LIKE me. I just want to show her a good time. She's got a lot on her mind with her Dad and all."

"Whatever. Now, if you want to show this girl a GOOD TIME, then you're going to have to follow some rules. First of all, if you two go to a restaurant, then PLEASE don't eat like you Saiyans do. Are you taking her somewhere for dinner?"

"Uh . . ."

"Never mind. I know the perfect place. I'll make reservations. Now, are you going to pick her up?"

Gohan nodded. "I was hoping that you could lend me something to use . . ."

"I can do better than that! I'll get you a limo. How does that sound?"

Gohan grinned. "That sounds GREAT! Okay, now what?"

"You've got something to wear, I presume?"

"Yep."

"Good. Next, you want to be sure to help her in and out of the limo and up steps and stuff like that. Be a gentleman."

" . . . I'm not sure she'd like that," said Gohan, wincing as he imagined her slapping him on the back of the head for doing such a thing.  It was something that Videl would do.

"I'm telling you- she'll eat it up! And when you're dancing, be sure NOT to step on her feet," instructed Bulma.

"Uh, Bulma . . ."

"Yes, Gohan?"

"I can't dance."

Bulma gapped at him. "Really?"

Raucous laughter sounded from behind them. "What do you want, Vegeta?" snapped Bulma.

"You can't dance?" He began to laugh again. Gohan flushed. "Stupid boy . . . you've probably never tried."

"Huh?" _Is he STALKING me or something?_

"Saiyans are good at dancing, boy. It's in our blood."

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Well, Vegeta, you've finally said something good for a change."

"Then again," Vegeta added, "you ARE only half Saiyan. I wish I could be at this dance to see Kakkarot's brat make a fool of himself!"

"Get the hell out of here, Vegeta. And while you're at it, get a life! You've obviously got nothing better to do than pick on poor Gohan . . ." She slammed the door in Vegeta's face.

"Woman . . ." came from the other side.

"You know, you really shouldn't do that. He might get mad . . ." warned Gohan.

"Never mind him. Look, Gohan, just be yourself and everything will be fine."

*~*

"Why ME? Why me? Why me . . ." Videl moaned over and over again, hitting herself in the head with her pillow each time she spoke.

As if going to the dance with Gohan wasn't enough . . . She glanced at the pink mass of fabric that sat on the end of her bed. Her father had ordered her to wear the pink monstrosity in the Hercule Parade tomorrow. She let out a groan. Like she would really be caught dead in the farce of a dress . . . 

"There's NO WAY I'm going to wear that thing," she said. She shivered, thinking of all of the lace and bows and frills . . .

And just to make sure she wouldn't have to wear the dress, Videl gathered it up, opened her window and flung it outside.

"That takes care of that," she muttered. "Now what to do about the dance . . ."

Gohan seemed set on taking her to the dance. He'd even asked her about flowers and her dress. It was going to be harder to get rid of THIS problem.

As Videl considered breaking her leg on the night of the dance, a housemaid walked into her room with the pink dress in her arms.

Videl looked up, then smiled when she saw who it was. "Iria! How are you?"

"Just fine, Miss Videl." The woman placed the dress gently on the end of the bed. "I was watering some plants outside when this came flying down on my head."

"Did you HAVE to bring it back up?" asked Videl warily.

The housemaid nodded. "Your father paid an arm and a leg for it."

"That's his problem . . ." she grumbled. "Besides, it's not like we can't afford it."

Iria sat next to Videl and patted her shoulder. "I have a feeling that something's wrong- other than the dress. Do you want to talk about it?"

Videl sighed and looked out of the window. "There's this boy at school . . ."

"Ah, a _boy_. You like him?"

"NO! Oh, no. It's just that . . . he's so different from the boys I've met!"

"How different?"

"Well . . . he . . . he's hiding something. I know he is."

Iria chuckled and shook her head. "I'm not following you . . ."

"It's hard to explain. This guy, he's _so good_, so_ innocent_, that there _must _be something suspicious going on with him! But the point is that tomorrow, I have to go to a dance with him. And there's no way he's going to let me back out of it, unless I'm in the hospital or something . . ."

"Don't you even think about it, Miss Videl. You'll break the poor boy's heart."

Videl raised an eyebrow. "Break his heart? I don't think so. He doesn't like me. At least not that way."

"If you honestly want my opinion, I think you should go to the dance with this boy and have a good time."

Videl's left eye began to twitch._ Everyone is against me . . ._

Videl groaned when her phone rang. She didn't feel like talking to anyone until she'd found a way to ditch Gohan. "Could you get that, Iria?"

The older woman nodded and picked up the phone. "Hello? You want Videl? Oh, hold on." She turned to Videl. "It's a boy."

_Probably Gohan._"I'm not here."

"She's coming. Hold on, please." The housemaid tossed Videl the phone, winked and left the room.

_I'm going to kill her when she comes back . . . _"Hello?"

"Uh, hi Videl."

"Gohan."

"I was wondering . . . if I could pick you up at . . . say, five tomorrow? I've got reservations at this awesome restaurant."

_He took the time to do that? For **me**? _"Uh . . . sure. That's fine. Look, I'm sorry if I seemed a little angry today. I wasn't expecting my name to come out."

"I wasn't either. Funny huh?"

"Yeah. Just hilarious," she said sarcastically.

Gohan frowned. He was getting a bit ticked at her. "Could you at least ACT like you're excited? I mean, I'm trying to make sure both of us have a good time tomorrow night. Tomorrow is a very special day for me."

Videl was shocked. Was Gohan actually . . . mad? "I'm so-"

"Tuesday will be the seventh anniversary of my father's death. Every year since he died, I've stayed at home feeling sorry for my self, _knowing_ that I could have prevented his death if I'd just-" Gohan broke off. "I'm sorry."

"No,_ I'm_ sorry. You're right, I've been acting bitchy lately."

"No, I shouldn't have blown up at you like that."

"Then . . . we're both sorry."

"Yeah."
    
    Neither of them said anything for a while.

"I . . . uh, I'd better go, Videl. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure. Bye."
    
    "Bye."

Videl sighed and grabbed a pillow, clutching it to her chest.  Gohan was willing to be nice to her and take her out, despite his father's death.  How could she make this up to him? She suddenly  reached for the phone and dialed a number.

"Erasa . . . what do you know about putting on makeup?"

_Next Chapter__: Videl takes part in the Hercule Parade. Gohan and a few others from the Z-gang go to see her and some unexpected trouble interrupts the parade. _


	5. I International Hercule Day Part Two: Th...

*~*

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. The plot is mine.

*~*

**EDITING COMPLETED: ****4/10/2004******

*~* Chapter Five *~*

International Hercule Day: Part Two

The Parade

Goten snuck into his big brother's room the next morning with the phone in his hand. He crawled onto his bed. "I'm here, Trunks. What now?"

"Is he saying anything?" 

Goten scratched his head. "Saying anything? He's asleep, dummy."

"So, STUPID! My mom said that people can talk in their sleep."

Goten stared at his brother. "Nope. He's not talking."

"Darn it! Well, wake him up. My mom wants to ask him about something. About his DATE tonight."

"Oh, right. THAT." Goten giggled.

"I've got an idea, Goten. Do you still have that whistle I gave you the other day?"

Goten pulled the whistle from around his neck. "Sure do."

"Okay. Put the phone next to his ear. Then blow as hard as you can."

"What?"

"I'm going to blow my whistle too. Just do it!"

Goten did as he was told and then blew. Really hard.

Gohan jumped up, sending the phone flying across the room. He began to wave his arms around. "Ahh! Stop screaming, Mom! I'm up!"

Goten began to laugh.

Gohan glared at his younger brother. "What are you doing?"

The younger Saiyan grabbed the phone. "Bulma wants to talk to you. About your date with Videl." He handed his brother the phone. "Are you SURE I can't go?"

"I'm sure." Gohan took the phone from his younger brother. "Hello?"

"Morning, Gohan. How are you feeling?"

"Just fine, Bulma. Thanks for asking."

"You're not nervous? Tonight's the big night . . ." she teased.

Gohan chuckled. "I've got no reason to be nervous."

"Right," said Bulma sarcastically. "Anyway, the limo will be waiting for you outside of your school at four thirty. Then you can pick up Videl, take her to dinner and then return to the school in time for the dance. How does that sound?"

"Great. I'm going to head out and see the big parade in a while. Are you going to come?"

Bulma snickered. "Why would I want to go see that glory-hungry fool celebrate himself? Why are YOU even going? You're the one who really beat Cell."

"I promised Videl I'd go to see her. She'll be in the parade."

"Oh, really? Well then, maybe I'll come to get a glance at this girl we've been talking about. Besides, I think Trunks wants to go and see the other floats they're going to have."

"How about I drop Goten off at your place on my way to the city? That way he can go with you and Trunks to see the parade."

"Sounds good."

"Alright. See you soon."

"Bye."

Gohan climbed out of his bed and stretched. His little brother grabbed his leg and began to jump up and down. "I'm going over Trunks' place?"

"Yep," replied Gohan.

The younger boy cried with delight. "Yipee! Can I stay over his place tonight? Huh? Can I?"

"Go ask mom, squirt."

Goten happily darted from the room.

Left in peace, Gohan gently took the picture of his father off of his bookcase. _Dad . . . I miss you so much. I wish I'd just beaten Cell in the first place so that you wouldn't have had to stop him from blowing up. God, if I'd just LISTENED to you . . ._

It was all his fault . . .

*~*

When Videl woke up, her heart was slamming in her chest. She was a bundle of nerves, but not about the parade, but the dance. In a matter of hours, she'd be going on her first date, going to her first dance . . . 

_Chill, Videl.__ You can think about that later. Right now . . . you need to get ready for the parade._

She had to find something special to wear- after all, Gohan would be there, like he'd promised. She wanted to impress him, to help take his mind off of his father's death.

Videl shuffled through the clothes in her dresser before finding something she liked. She decide on a pair of sky blue knee pants and white tank top, both of which Iria had bought for her on her birthday, hoping that she would wear them one day. 

Videl put on the outfit and stared at herself in the mirror. The outfit was cute and it gave her a lot of room for movement, just in case she was needed to fight crime during the parade. A satisfied smiled lit her face until her gaze drifted up to her hair, which she'd left in it's usual two messy ponytails. _Well, I might as well go all the way._

She picked up her brush and took out her two ponytails. Videl stroked her hair with the brush so many times that her dark hair began to shine. When she was satisfied with that, the braided her hair and tied the end with a blue scrunchy. She completed her new look by slipping on a pair of sneakers.

When she looked in the mirror again, she barely recognized herself.  Videl grinned to herself. _Be prepared to have your socks knocked off, Son Gohan._

*~*

Gohan landed in the front yard of Capsule Corp and set his little brother down carefully on the ground. Like a bullet, he took off into the house, leaving Gohan to follow at a slower pace.

"Trunks! Trunks! TRUNKS!!! I'm here!" cried Goten as he threw open the door and entered the dome shaped house.

Vegeta appeared out of nowhere, startling both of the boys. "What the hell is all this screaming about?"

"I'm here to see TRUNKS!!" exclaimed the younger boy, unable to hide his excitement. "I wanna show him this move I just thought of and-"

"Alright! Stop your rambling. It's giving me a headache!" said Vegeta in his usual pissed-off voice.

"Oh . . . Sorry, Mr. Vegeta sir. I'll try to be quiet," muttered Goten.

"The brat you're looking for is in his room," supplied the Saiyan prince. Goten took off, shouting Trunks' name the whole way.

Vegeta turned his gaze to Gohan. "What do you want?"

"Nothing. I was just . . . leaving."

"Be gone, then, unless you're going to spar with me," Vegeta growled.

Gohan wisely left the house and flew off for the parade.

*~*

The streets of Satan City were filled with people from all around the world who'd come to see the Hercule Day parade. Gohan could barely believe that all of these people came to see Videl's father. With the parade starting in less than thirty minutes, people were lining up along Main Street, awaiting the commencement of the event.

Gohan had spent about an hour and a half before the parade began making sure that all of his arrangements for the dance were in order. His last stop was the flower shop, where he ordered a dozen roses and a vase that he planned on giving Videl.

Gohan exited the shop and almost immediately spotted Bulma, Chichi, Vegeta, Trunks and Goten standing on the side of the street, waiting for the parade to begin. He smiled as Vegeta used his big muscles and intimidating glare to open up a spot close to the street so that their view wasn't blocked by anyone or anything.

"Hey, guys. What's up?"

His mother smiled at him. "Hello, Gohan."

"I wasn't expecting you to be here, Mom."

"Bulma picked me up at the last minute. We came to see your girlfriend," said Chichi slyly.

Gohan flushed. "She's NOT my girlfriend, Mom. I thought we already established that!"

Bulma chuckled, noticing Gohan's red cheeks. "Come on, Gohan. You can tell us if you like her."

"I don't! Gosh, you guys are so frustrating!" exclaimed Gohan.

Vegeta snorted. "You're telling me. I had to ride with them all the way here."

His wife gave him a look. "Well, mister, you could have flown."

He snickered. "And waste my energy? I don't think so."

Goten, who was sitting on the ground, began to wave his arms. "LOOK! There they come! Ohhh, look at the horsies!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "So easily amused."

A large band started to play as a giant float made it's way down the street.

"Wow, it looks just like the earth!" cried Goten.

"Because it's supposed to look like it, dummy," replied Trunks. "Look, there's a girl on top! I bet SHE'S Videl."

Goten yanked on his brother's pant leg. "Hey, Gohan, is that Videl? It sorta looks like her . . ."

Gohan concentrated on the young woman sitting on top of the earth float, waving at the crowd. Gohan had never seen Videl in anything other than shorts and a T-shirt, and this girl was wearing a pair of form fitting knee pants and a tank top. "I don't know . . ."

Chichi shook her head. "That CAN'T be the same girl that came over to the house. She looks more . . . feminine."

Vegeta suppressed a laugh. "The boy can't recognize his own mate."

Gohan ignored the comment and kept his gaze on the beauty on the float.

Goten bit his lower lip. He knew that smile. It was the same one she'd given him when he'd fallen into Gohan's room while they were studying. "HEY, VIDEL!!!!!! LOOK OVER HERE!!" shouted Goten.

Videl heard someone calling out her name. She gazed at the crowd and smiled when she saw little Goten jumping up and down on the side of the street. Then she saw Gohan.

He was staring at her with a dazed look on his face. It's working . . . She waved at him, and he nervously waved back.

Bulma turned to Gohan. "You didn't tell me she was so pretty!"

"Well . . . I . . ."

Chichi snorted. "She didn't dress like that when she came to our house. I clearly remember the T-shirt and the black shorts."

Gohan was speechless. Where had the old Videl gone?

*~*

Videl was tired of waving and smiling halfway through the parade. Her arm was sore and it felt like her face was frozen. She lowered her arm and relaxed the muscles in her face.

She jumped when the phone clipped onto the waistband of her pants began to ring. What could it be? And during the parade?

"Videl here. What is it?"

"Videl, the mayor and his assistants are being held hostage in the conference center. The men inside are threatening to kill him."

"I'm on my way." Videl jumped off the float and ran towards the conference center.

*~*

Goten began to whine as the floats stopped moving down the street. "What's going on? Why did everything stop?"

"I don't know, Goten," murmured his older brother. Gohan had a bad feeling . . . something big was about to go down.

To confirm his suspicions, someone in the crowd shouted, "THE MAYOR'S BEING HELD HOSTAGE IN THE CONFERENCE CENTER!"

"Videl," whispered Gohan. "She's probably gone to help. Mom . . ."

Chichi sighed. "I understand. Just go. And BE CAREFUL!!"

Goten watched as his older brother ran off through the crowd. "Trunks . . . my brother's gonna save the day. Wanna go watch?"

"Alright!" The two boys jumped up and followed Gohan.

Bulma groaned. "We might as well follow them. They might get in the way." The adults quickly went after the two eager Saiyans.

*~*

When Videl arrived on the scene, the police informed her of the situation. There was a total of seven hostages being held on the top floor of the building and two thugs inside. Videl thanked them and rushed inside.

She took the stairs up to the sixth floor, careful not to make a sound. She then crept down the dark hallway until she heard the deep voices of two men.

"This city doesn't listen to the needs of its people!" cried one of them. "Maybe this will open their eyes!"

"Yeah. Instead of spending money on that damn parade, they should be improving the streets and schools! We're here to make a statement."

Videl used their voices to find the men. She peeked into the room where they were and spotted the hostages.

_One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five . . . six . . . Where's the seventh? Were the police misinformed_? She shook her head. Never mind that. I'm going to take down those two men.

With that thought, she entered the room, ready for battle.

Meanwhile, Gohan was just arriving at the conference hall. He looked around for any signs of Videl. _She's probably already inside. And with all these people here, I can't become Saiyaman . . . Darn it!_

"Gohan! Gohan!"

He turned around to see Erasa running up to him, dragging Sharpner behind her.  She looked frantic, and Gohan knew that something had gone wrong.  "Videl's already inside," said Erasa. "But . . . the police just learned that there's a bomb inside the building. And Videl doesn't know."

Gohan's heart stopped. "Damn!"

Sharpner crossed his arms over his chest. "There's nothing that we can do now. Videl can take care of herself."

Gohan was engaged in an internal war. Did he go inside the building as himself? Should he go at all?

Gohan then made up his mind. He handed Erasa his bag, then ran past the police barricades and into the building, ignoring the shouts of the policemen and his friends. He quickened his speed when he got inside.

On the sixth floor of the conference hall, Videl, having taken down the crooks, began to untie and un-gag the hostages.

But she didn't notice the hand of one of the men had moved. "Then we'll all go down," he mumbled softly and pressed the button on the detonator.

When she'd released all of the hostages, a woman turned to her. "They took my little girl! I-I don't know where they put her. Please, you HAVE to find her!"

Before Videl could reply, Gohan burst into the room. "You all have to get out of here! There's a bomb in the building!" he exclaimed.

"Gohan? What are you doing here?"

"There's no time for that. There's a bomb in here and-"

One of the crooks spoke up. "The boy's right. And it's already begun the countdown. You've got five minutes, people, before you're all blown to bits."

Videl let out a growl and kicked the man in his face, silencing him. "I should leave you two here, but . . ." She and another man picked up the men and headed for the door.

"MY DAUGHTER! SHE'S STILL IN HERE!" cried the frantic mother.

Videl swore. "Now what, Gohan?"

"You get them out. I'll find the little girl."

"But-"

"GO!!" He shoved her out of the room. "And go fast!"

Damn it, Gohan. You better know what you're doing . . . Videl and the others took off.

Gohan listened for the cries of a child. Nothing. He softly swore. "Hey, is anyone here! Can you here me?"

Nothing.

The little girl could be anywhere in the building. How was he ever going to find her in time?

Suddenly, Gohan's sharp ears picked up the sound of beeping. Maybe, if I'm lucky . . .

He followed the beeping to a room. The door was locked. Gohan kicked it in and swiftly entered the room.

A frightened little girl was tied up and gagged . . . next to the ticking bomb. Gohan quickly untied the girl and took the handkerchief from her mouth.

"I want my mommy!" she cried, clutching onto Gohan's shirt.

He glanced at the bomb. Twenty seconds and counting. He'd never be able to make out of the building before time ran out on foot, if he flew, then he'd be seen . . . which left . . .

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five . . .

_I've been meaning to try this out . . ._

Four, three, two . . .

Gohan placed two fingers on his forehead and-

_*~* Meanwhile, back outside *~*_

Videl spotted Chichi and Goten standing just outside the police barricade with worried looks on their faces. She went up to them.

"Videl . . . did Gohan go in there?" asked Chichi.

She nodded. "We might want to step back. A bomb is about to go off."

The blue haired woman next to them gasped. "A bomb? And Gohan's still in there?"

"Yes. He went to find a little girl . . ." Videl drifted off. Her heart was pounding as she kept her gaze on the entrance to the building. "Come on, Gohan . . . where are you?"

A sudden explosion shook the ground as the building blew up, debris shooting out towards the crowd. Vegeta stepped forward and raised his power level a bit so that the debris fell harmlessly in front of them.

When everything settled down a bit, Videl stared up in horror at the burning building. "GOHAN!! GOHAN!!" she cried out. Videl tried to run towards the building when a strong hand grabbed her arm.

She looked up at the muscled man that was with Chichi.

"He'll be fine," said the man, his voice very calm. "Trust me."

The man let go of her arm and Videl stepped back.

Trunks, who'd grabbed onto his mother's leg, stared in shock. Where was Gohan? He looked up to him so much . . . after all, he'd defeated Cell at just eleven. Could he actually be . . .?

Goten glared at his friend, knowing what he was thinking. "My brother is stronger than that, Trunks. A little explosion wouldn't even put a dent in him."

No one said anything for a while until . . .

Videl gasped. Gohan, with a tiny girl in his arms, came from around the back of the building without a scratch on him. He handed the girl over to the police.

Videl ran forward and this time no one tried to stop her. She pulled Gohan into a big hug. "I thought you were dead! You scared me!"

"Uh . . . Videl! You're choking me!" he gasped out.

She released him and punched him in the stomach. Gohan winced. "What was that for?"

"For being stupid!! For putting yourself in danger by going inside that building!!! What the hell were you thinking?!! You could have been killed!!!"

Gohan looked around. People were beginning to stare. "Gosh, Videl. Calm down. I'm fine and I saved your life and the lives of the others. If it weren't for me, you would have never known that bomb was in there until it was too late!"

She glared at him. "Fine. You're right about that. But don't try anything stupid like that again."

"Okay. I won't," he said, a tiny smile on his face.

Videl looked him over. "How did you get out? And without a scratch?"

"I . . . uh . . . went out the back way! Yeah! It was a lot shorter than the front!"

She rolled her eyes. "Right. Let's go talk to your mom. I'm sure she's worried."

The two went over to Chichi and the others. Gohan's mother pulled him into a tight embrace as Trunks and Goten were jumping up and down, screaming, "Gohan saved the day! Gohan saved the day!"

Videl went off to speak to the police and check up on the little girl. Vegeta turned to Gohan. "How'd you really get out of there?"

Gohan grinned. "Instant Transmission."

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "I thought that Goku was the only one who could do that."

"I've been working on my own version of it for a while. It's not that hard to learn," replied Gohan.

Goten hopped onto his brother's back. "You saved the day without being Saiyaman! You rock!"

Gohan chuckled. "Thanks." 

*~*

"LOOK AT THIS!!! IT'S ALL IN THE PAPERS!! IT'S ON THE NEWS CHANNELS!! IT'S EVEN ON THE DAMN INTERNET!!! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY?!!"

Videl stared at her enraged father. "I have NO idea what you're talking about."

Hercule tossed a newspaper onto the table in front of them. "Imagine my surprise when I asked for today's paper and saw THIS on the front page. 'Satan Videl's New Love Interest'?!"

Videl picked up the paper. "Holy . . ." The newspaper had printed a picture of her hugging Gohan outside of the conference hall. "Look, Dad . . . I thought that he was dead. You see, he went into the building and-"

"I read the damn article Videl. I know what happened. Is he your boyfriend?"

"No."

"So then what's this about you two going to the school dance together?"

Videl's eyes widened. How did they find out about that? "Our names came out of the draw box, Dad. We have to go. And besides, it was YOUR idea to have the stupid drawing anyway!"

"I'm going to do a background check on him before you two go to this dance tonight. This weakling could be some sort of pervert or something."

Videl rolled her eyes. "Since when have you cared what I do or who I'm friends with?"

"Young lady, this all affects me! I-"

"EXACTLY! Everything has to be about you, Dad! You never asked me if I wanted to move into this mansion, if I wanted to change school districts, if I wanted to live with Mom, or-"

Hercule slammed his palms on the desk. "I'm THIS close to not letting you go to the dance! Now shut your mouth!"

Videl winced and forced back tears, her hands formed fists at her sides. Her father was being curler than usual, and she knew why. "You've been drinking again, haven't you?"

"I have not!"

"Don't lie to me. I can smell the damn alcohol on your breath!"

Her father looked furious. "What did I say? I did NOT have anything to drink."

"Whatever." She turned to leave.

"And your curfew is ten."

"But the dance doesn't end till one!"

"Do you want the curfew to be nine?"

She sighed in defeat. "No sir."

"That's what I thought. Now get out of here."

Videl fled from her father's study and up to her room. She collapsed onto her bed and began to sob. [2]

I hate him . . . I wish that Mom had at least tried to get custody of me when they divorced. But I guess that she didn't want to be tied down with a kid.

Videl sat up when the phone rang. She picked it up. "H-hello?"

On the other end, Gohan frowned. He could tell that something was wrong with her. "This is Gohan. Are you okay Videl?"

"I . . ." She wanted to say yes, or to tell him to mind his own business, but she really needed someone to talk to. "No. I had a fight with my Dad."

"Oh, no. He didn't HIT you, did he?" asked Gohan, anger in his voice. "If he did-"

"No! He didn't lay a hand on me. He's just becoming harder and harder to ignore. And he w-was d-drinking again . . ."

"Gosh . . . Is there something I can do? Do you want to cancel the dance thing or-"

"No way. It'll be a chance for me to get away from my problems for a little while. How about you? How are you holding up?"

Gohan sighed. "Just fine, I guess. I try not to think about what happened to my father, but the memories continue to haunt me."

"It sounds like a night out will do both of us some good," she replied. "I'm really looking forward to tonight, Gohan."

"So am I."

"You're a great guy, Gohan. I'm glad that you're my friend."

"And I'm glad that you're MY friend Videl. I'll make sure you have a wonderful time."

Videl smiled. "I'm sure you will."

When she hung up, Videl felt a whole lot better. She looked at her clock. Three thirteen. She picked up the phone again and punched a few numbers. "Erasa, I just bought this dress for tonight and . . ."

TBC . . .

_Next Chapter__: Gohan and Videl go out on their big date. Dinner, dancing and fighting crime . . . how romantic!_


	6. I International Hercule Day Part Three: ...

*~*

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. The PLOT is mine.

*~*

**EDITING COMPLETED: ****4/10/2004******

*~* Chapter Six *~*

International Hercule Day Part Three:

The Dance

Marron skipped into Gohan's room clutching a teddy bear to her chest. When she caught sight of him, she grinned. "You look hot, Gohan!"

He flushed. "Where'd you get the word 'hot' from?"

"Master Roshi!"

Gohan chuckled and straightened the collar of his white shirt, then tucked it into his pants. "You shouldn't hang around him so much," he advised, concerned about the little girl's moral welfare.

She giggled. "He's funny!"

"So," Gohan spun around. "How do I look?"

"Stupid!"

He frowned. "But . . . you just said that I looked hot."

"That was before you tucked in your shirt. Now you look like my Dad when he goes out with Mommy."

"Ah . . . so I look old?"

The little girl laughed again. "Yep!"

"Okay then." Gohan fixed his shirt. "How's that?"

Marron grabbed his hand and pulled him into the living room where Bulma, Chichi and Juuhachi were having some tea. "TADA!!!!!!!!!" she exclaimed, presenting Gohan to the adults.

"You look great, Gohan. But let me fix one thing . . ." Bulma walked up to him and undid the first few buttons of his shirt. "That's better. It always works on Vegeta."

Stars appeared in Chichi's eyes. She set down her cup of tea and picked up a camera. "I have to get a picture of this! Now smile, Gohan!" There was a bright flash when Chichi took the picture.

Bulma smiled. "Now, if we want an UNBIASED opinion, we need to go to Juuhachi," she said, knowing that the 'android' would tell the truth. "How does Gohan look?"

Juuhachi eyed him seriously, making Gohan nervous. "He looks good," she said in her usual monotone voice.

Chichi gave her son a big hug. "Well, then. Now that you've passed the inspection, you'd better be off. You've got money, right?"

Gohan patted his pocket left. "Yes."

"Good. Make sure you get a picture taken at the dance. I want to see it!"

Gohan smiled at his mother and kissed her forehead. "Of course. I'll be back by one, at the latest. See you later." He flew off, leaving his mother crying into the shoulder of Bulma, mumbling something about her son becoming a man.

*~*

"Stay STILL, Videl, or I'll get this stuff all over your face!" cried Erasa as she steadily applied lipstick to Videl's lips.

With an exasperated sigh, she did as she was told. When Erasa sat back, recapping the lipstick, Videl wondered how anyone could like putting on makeup. It itched, was heavy and the lipstick tasted nasty. Anyone looking at her could probably tell that she had a ton caked on.

"Are you done yet? I want to put on the dress," moaned Videl. "Gohan will be here soon."

Erasa rolled her eyes. "Relax. We've got plenty of time. Now, should we do the hair BEFORE we put on the dress, or after?" she asked, taking a step back to eye her work.

"I'm beginning to regret that I called you over here," mumbled Videl.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Let's put on the dress after you do my hair. You're not going to do anything . . . extravagant with it, are you?"

"No. Just put a few curls in." Erasa plugged her hot curler into the wall and began to curl the ends of Videl's thick hair. Ten minutes later, Erasa switched off the curler and sprayed something from an aerosol can onto her hair. "There! That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Videl moved to her closet and removed the red gown that she'd splurged on just that afternoon and a pair of matching red pumps, which she'd also just bought.

Erasa raised an eyebrow when she caught sight of Videl's dress. It was stunning, and she was surprised that Videl had picked it out, and all by herself. "You really went all out, didn't you?"

The other girl flushed. "Gohan and I have . . . come to an understanding. He's not as bad as I originally thought. We actually have a lot in common."

Videl slipped out of her other clothes and out on the dress. "Can you zip me up in the back Erasa?"

Once that was completed, Videl took a look in the mirror. "I didn't know the split was this high," she groaned, glancing at the amount of exposed skin.

Erasa laughed. "Didn't you try on the dress?"

"No. It was perfect, so I just bought it. Besides, it wasn't really my money- it was Dad's."

"Never mind about the split . . . Videl, girl, you're gonna knock 'em dead! Look at yourself!"

"I am."

"And what do you see . . .?"

"A . . . an absolutely gorgeous girl! Me!" Videl twirled around, admiring herself from back to front. She admired the way the dress hugged her upper body, then flared out slightly at the bottom. The shoes looked great with the spectacular dress. And to her surprise, Videl saw that the makeup was barely noticeable, except for Erasa's wonderful work on with the eye shadow. She reached up to touch her hair. It was very soft and she found that she liked the loose curls at the end.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Erasa," said Videl as she gave her best friend a hug. She jumped slightly when the doorbell rang.

"I bet that's Gohan!" shrieked Erasa. She grabbed Videl's hand and led her down the stairs and into the foyer of her huge mansion. She threw open the door and frowned when she saw Sharpner standing there in a hideous white pimp suit.

"What are you doing here?" asked Erasa.

"I came to take Videl to the dance," he answered, inviting himself into the mansion, leaving the door wide open. His eyes fell upon Videl standing just behind Erasa. "Wow . . . you look great!"

She glared at him. "I'm going with Gohan. You know that."

Sharpner laughed. "Like that bookworm's going to show! You'd be better off coming with me. I know how to treat a lady."

"Really? Then why is GOHAN getting out of that limo?" snickered Erasa.

"WHAT?!" Sharpner shrieked as he turned to look out of the door. How had Son Gohan managed to get a fancy limo like that?

Gohan approached the door with a dozen roses in a crystal vase his hand. "Hey, Erasa. Is Videl ready?" he asked, stepping onto the porch of Videl's mansion.

Erasa grinned. "Yes, she is."

Videl took this as her cue and stepped from behind Erasa, a shy and hesitant smile on her face. "Hello, Gohan."

The young Saiyan stared in shock. Was this beauty standing in front of him really Videl? "Hi . . . gee, you look great."

She smiled at him and gave him a once over. "You don't look so bad yourself."

Gohan blushed, then looked down at the roses. "Oh, these are for you."

Videl took both of the gifts. "Thanks. Do you mind taking these upstairs for me, Erasa?" She handed her friend the roses. "Shall we be going then?"

He nodded and took her arm. "See you two at the dance!" he called out.

Sharpner watched as the two entered the limo and drove off. "Damn him! Videl's MY girl!"

Erasa giggled. "Doesn't look that way now!"

*~*

Videl was blushing as Gohan pulled her chair away from the table. "You don't have to do that," she muttered. "I thought we were here as friends."

Gohan smiled and waited until she'd sat in the chair to push her up to the table. "We are." He took his own seat and picked up the menu that sat in front of him.

Videl looked around, then stared down at the fancy decorations on the table. She picked up her knife, which she suspected was made of real silver, and raised an eyebrow. "How in the world did you get reservations here? This restaurant is the most exclusive one in town."

Gohan looked up from his menu. "A friend of mine hooked me up. She also got me the limo."

"Who?"

"Bulma Briefs, owner of Capsule Corporation."

Videl blinked several times. "You know Bulma Briefs? Wow. You know, she's even richer than my Dad."

He chuckled. "You probably met her at the parade. She was the woman with the blue hair, the one with the big muscled guy . . ."

"Oh, _her_. Yeah, I remember her. Especially her guy. That's her husband right?"

"Yeah. Why do you remember him in particular?"

Videl told him about what had happened after the building had exploded earlier that day. "He held me back so that I couldn't get close to the conference center when it blew up."

"Are you SURE he did that?" asked Gohan. "Vegeta isn't the one to do that sort of thing."

"So his name is Vegeta . . . I'm absolutely sure he did that."

Gohan laughed. He DOES care. "Vegeta and my Dad weren't exactly the best of friends. I don't think he likes me very much, either."

Videl shook her head. "You've got some weird friends, Gohan."

_Oh, boy . . . she has no idea . . ._

A waiter stepped up to their table, a menu in hand. "Good evening. Are you ready to order?"

Gohan realized that they hadn't had time to look over the menu while they were talking. He opened his menu and picked two random dishes, both with some sort of fancy names. Videl ordered a steak and some vegetables.

Once the after left, Videl turned to Gohan. "Do you know what you ordered?"

He shook his head. "Do you?"

She began to laugh. "No!" The two laughed together, then fell into an awkward silence.

"So," began Gohan. "Let's talk."

"About what?"

"You," he said, a sly grin on his face.

"Ha, ha. Very funny." Videl rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm serious. I want to know about your family. Maybe it'll help if you talk about your parents."

Videl sighed and placed her hands in her lap. "Okay. Umm . . . My mother divorced my Dad when I was just five. I, of course, was heartbroken. I wanted to live with my mother, but she didn't want me. So, for six years, I lived with my Dad. We lived off of prize money that he won in different tournaments. We always had money, but I often wished that he'd get a REAL job, like other kid's parents. Then came along Cell . . ." Videl paused, then laughed bitterly. "This is when it got bad. My mother tried to come back when she found out that Dad had defeated Cell and was making tons of money."

"Oh, man. That must have been rough . . ."

"It was. Both of my parents tried to use me as a pawn in their stupid game, but I caught on and tried to avoid them both. Dad told my mom her to get lost. I never saw her again. But then, Dad started drinking. I think that, deep down, he still loved my mother, and was disappointed to learn that she only wanted him for some money. But that doesn't mean that he has to try to make MY life a living hell, does it? I can't wait until I graduate from high school. Then I can get out of that house for good."

Gohan frowned, watching the different emotions- anger, sadness and sorrow, play out on her face. "Maybe this isn't the best conversation to be having over dinner . . ."

To his surprise, Videl smiled. "Are you kidding? I feel a lot better now that I've gotten that off of my chest. I'm finally beginning to trust you."

"Uh . . . thanks."

"Now it's your turn. I've told you my story, now I want to hear yours."

Gohan didn't know where to start. "Um . . . what exactly is it that you want to know?"

"Well, for one thing, you haven't told me your father's name."

"Son Goku."

She gapped at him. "You mean, THE Son Goku?"

Gohan nodded nervously. "Why do you ask?"

"I should have noticed the connection. I've watched all of the old tapings of the past World Tournaments. Your Dad entered a few times, right? And he did really well."

"Yeah, he entered in a few."

Videl eyed the boy sitting across from her. "So then you MUST know something about martial arts. Your Dad was pretty good."

"I know a little . . ."

"Maybe I'll challenge you to a fight one day. It would be interesting to see who'd win. Although it would probably be _me_," Videl said confidently. 

Gohan chuckled. "I wouldn't bet on that . . ."

"Oh, yeah? I'll show you someday, Gohan. You just wait."

"Ohhhhh, I'm SCARED!!" he teased.

"You should be!" Videl grinned.  "I'm telling you, I'd beat your a-"

"Well, well, well. Isn't this cute?" sneered a familiar voice.

Videl looked up to see her second worst enemy- with Saiyaman holding the first place spot- standing next to their table.

"Angela, what a nice surprise . . ." murmured Videl, hiding her disgust. Angela was the most popular girl in school. She thought that her title gave her the right to talk about others. It was common knowledge around Orange Star High that she wanted to go out with Gohan. 

Angela Lockwood tossed her thick blond hair over her shoulder. "Isn't it?" She turned to Gohan. "What are you doing here with HER?"

"That sounded like and insult," said Videl as she thought about ripping the girl's pretty blond hair out of her head.

"Maybe it was."

"WHAT?!"

"I'm just saying that a popular guy like Gohan shouldn't be hanging around a social outcast like YOU," Angela said snootily.

"Social OUTCAST? I'm the daughter of Hercule and-"

"It's alright, Videl." Gohan turned to Angela. "Our names came out of the homeroom draw box. We're going to the dance after dinner."

"Ah. That explains it. I'm sorry you got paired with her."

"Actually, Videl and I are having a great time. I'm really enjoying myself," Gohan said honestly.

"Really? I suppose you're just trying to make the best of things. Save me a dance tonight, Gohan. I'll see you later."

"Bye Angela."

Videl glared at the girl as she left. "Uhh! She makes me so MAD!! And why were you being so nice to her when she was CLEARLY looking for a fight?!"

"I wanted to prevent a cat fight from breaking out in this nice restaurant, that's all," Gohan replied. "I know you don't like her."

"_Cat fight_? What is that supposed to mean?" Videl snapped.

"Nothing. Just forget I said that." _Gosh . . . she's going to kill me for that!_ "Oh, look! Here comes our food!"

The waiter set the plates down before them, then left. Videl stared at the slimy goo on one of Gohan's plates. "That looks so gross . . ."

Gohan had to agree. "Well . . . I might as well try it . . ." He poked at the glob with his fork, then picked up his knife and cut a piece off of it.

Videl wrinkled her nose as she watched Gohan take a bite of the goo.

"WOW! This is good. Try some!" exclaimed Gohan. He cut away another piece and held the fork up to Videl. "Go on."

Videl stared down at the fork. She was no longer concerned about the fact that Gohan wanted her to eat some goo. All she could think about was the fact that he'd eaten off of the very same fork and that him offering her some food the way he did was very . . . unnerving and seductive. She knew that Gohan was offering her some of his dish with only pure thoughts in his head.

So she leaned forward and slowly put her mouth around the fork. Without meaning to, she glanced up at Gohan. She was surprised to see that he was staring down at her with a strange look on his face. Their eyes met and held until Gohan slowly removed the fork from her mouth, cleared his throat and sat back in his chair.

Videl, for probably the first time in her life, blushed. She began to eat her food, her mind whirling. _He probably thinks I'm some sort of freak now. Well, it's his fault! He shouldn't have offered me his food like that! He was asking for it!_

"So what did you think?"

Videl dropped her fork. "Huh? What? Did you say something, Gohan?"

He smiled at her. "I asked if you liked the stuff I just gave you."

"Oh. Uh . . . very much. It was good."

"Would you like some more?"

"NO! Um, I'll pass, thank you."

The two continued to eat, stopping on occasion to speak to each other. Trouble arose when Gohan was just about to ask the waiter for their check.

"ALRIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!!! GET UP OUTA YOUR SEATS AND KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE 'EM!!!" cried a man with a huge gun in his hand.

Gohan and Videl stood up and eyed the crook warily as he went through the restaurant, telling people to hand over their money and jewelry.

"I can't even go out to dinner without having to fight some sort of crime," she grumbled. But how was she going to do anything in her tight dress?

Gohan was considering taking down the guy when the cook moved over to their table. He pointed the gun at Videl and said, "Your turn, pretty lady. Empty your purse."

_My . . . purse . . ._ Videl turned her back to the guy, reaching for her purse that sat on the other side of the table. She shot Gohan a quick, reassuring glance and began to dig around in her bag. "Hold on . . . I've got some money around here somewhere . . ."

The crook let out a sigh, then pointed the gun at Gohan but kept his eyes on Videl. "Gimme your money, boy."

Videl turned back to the crook. "Here you go!" She raised the tiny bottle of pepper spray to the guy's face and emptied the canister into his eyes.

He roared out in pain, dropping his gun. Gohan kicked it out of his grasp. "BITCH!!!!!" cried the crook.

Videl placed a firm elbow in his stomach, then knocked him out with a powerful punch to the head.

After everything settled down and the bad guy had been hauled away by the cops, Gohan turned to Videl and asked, "Pepper spray?"

She grinned. "Erasa gave it to me. Just in case, she said. I told her that I could take care of myself, but . . ."

Gohan laughed. "Well, we'll have to remember to thank her when we see her at the dance, hmm?"

The manager of the restaurant came up to them. "Your meal is on the house," he said, "for stopping that man. Thank you."

"All in a day's work," said Videl. "Now if you'll excuse us . . . we have a dance to get to!"

*~*

Gohan and Videl arrived outside of the school twenty minutes later, at seven fifteen. They could hear the music pumping at full blast from inside the gym. They went around the side of the gym where the entrance was.

When they got there, they debated on whether or not Gohan was going to buy Videl's way into the dance.

"What's wrong with me buying your way, Videl? I was going to pay for dinner," said Gohan.

"Well, I WAS going to tell you that I would pay for my own dinner but the manager said it was free! And what's wrong with me buying my own way?"

"Just let me pay for you, Videl. I'm supposed to be taking you out."

"This isn't a date!" she cried.

"But-"

"How about I decide this?" said the teacher who was taking the money and letting students into the gym. He'd been watching the debate with interest. "Since you're the daughter of Hercule, Videl, you get in free. And since you're her date, Gohan, you get in free too. How's that sound?"

Gohan gave the teacher a smile and took Videl's arm. "Great. Thanks!"

The minute the two stepped into the gym, all eyes were on them. The dancing almost completely stopped on the dance floor. All conversation halted for about thirty seconds, then continued at full blast.

"What's their problem?" muttered Videl as she and Gohan made their way throughout the gym, searching for an empty table. "Never mind. Stupid question. I guess no one really expected me to show up."

"I'm glad you decided not to bail on me. Then I wouldn't have a date."

"For the last time, Gohan, we're NOT on a-"

"Date. Yes, yes, I know. I was just joking," he chuckled.

"HEY GOHAN! VIDEL! OVER HERE!!" shouted Erasa over the music. The led them to a vacant table where Sharpener joined them.

"You look very nice tonight, Erasa," said Gohan politely. "I like your dress."

She looked down at her short Hawaiian printed dress. "Thanks! It's just something I pulled out of my closet. So, how was dinner? Tell me all the juicy details."

Videl rolled her eyes. "There are no juicy details. Besides the fact that Angela Lockwood showed up and some crook interrupted dinner-"

"Are you telling me you had to fight in that dress? How . . ."

Gohan laughed, remembering the incident. "Videl used some pepper spray you go her. It worked wonders."

Erasa giggled. "I'm glad that I could help. It sounds like you two had a good time."

"We did," answered Videl.

Sharpner growled in disgust. An idea formed in his head as a slow song began to play. I _bet Gohan can't dance. Let's see he does on the dance floor._ "Why don't you two dance?" suggested Sharpner, eager to see Gohan embarrass himself.

"Well . . ." muttered Videl as she gazed out at the people on the dance floor. The other people were moving so gracefully. She didn't think that she could do it.

Sensing her hesitation, Gohan pulled Videl to her feet and led her out on the dance floor.

"This shouldn't be that hard," said Videl. "Slow dancing is just swaying from side to side."

Gohan shook his head. "No way! You've got to FEEL the music, Videl. Listen to the lyrics, feel the emotions in the song."

"You've got to be kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not. Come on. Focus on the beat of the music. Listen to the singer's emotions and FEEL them . . ."

_If you're lonely  
And need a friend  
And troubles seem like  
They never end . . ._

Videl closed her eyes and listened closely to the lyrics. She was surprised at how they described her relationship with Gohan perfectly. 

_Just to remember to keep the faith  
And love will be there to light the way . . ._

Gohan smiled when he saw the way her body began to sway back and forth. He could tell by her concentration that she was feeling the music now. He took her into his arms and moved out onto the dance floor.

_Anytime you need a friend  
I will be here  
You'll never be alone again  
So don't you fear  
Even if you're miles away  
I'm by your side  
So don't you ever be lonely  
Love will make it alright_

Videl wrapped her arms around Gohan's neck and buried her head in his shoulder. She felt warm in safe in his arms . . . She didn't want him to let go of her.

_When the shadows are closing in  
And your spirit diminishing  
Just remember you're not alone  
And love will be there  
To guide you home . . ._

Gohan rested his chin in Videl's soft hair and placed his hands gently on her hips. They moved to the music together, in perfect harmony. Gohan, to his surprise, liked having Videl in his arms. At that moment, he didn't know what that meant, and he didn't really care.

_Anytime you need a friend  
I will be here  
You'll never be alone again  
So don't you fear_  
_Even if you're miles away  
I'm by your side  
Don't you ever be lonely  
Love will make it alright_

_If you just believe in me  
I will love you endlessly_

_Take my hand  
Take me into your heart_

_I'll be there forever baby  
I won't let go_

_I'll never let go_

_Anytime you need a friend  
I will be here  
You'll never be alone again  
So don't you fear  
Even if you're miles away  
I'm by your side  
So don't you ever be lonely  
It's alright  
It's alright . . ._

People began to clap and hoot when the song ended.  Apparently, all eyes had been on the star couple. Videl and Gohan flushed and stepped off of the dance floor as fast as they could.

Just before they reached their table, Angela stepped in front of them. She didn't look too happy. "How about we dance now, Gohan?" she asked.

"I . . . uh . . . I've gotta go take a picture with Videl. Maybe later?" Gohan took Videl's hand and lead her in the other direction.

"I have to admit, Gohan, dancing is fun. And you're really good. I thought you said you didn't know how to dance."

"It runs in my blood," was all he said. He led her over to the little arch where pictures were being taken. There was no one in line, so they were able to get theirs done quickly.

The photographer was excited to be able to take a picture of Videl and said that the photos would be free and that they'd get to do more than one pose.

"Alright, kids, for the first pose, lets have you two stand next to each other. Good, good. Now, Videl, you take this young man's arm . . . great! Now hold it!" There was a bright flash.

"Okay. Second pose." The man stared at them for a long time. "I've got it!" He pulled some white flowers out of nowhere. He handed them to Gohan. "Now you pretend you're giving her the flowers. I want you both to have your hands on the bouquet, yours on the bottom and Videl's on the top. EXCELLENT!!! Now turn your bodies a bit to face the camera . . . that's it! Now stand still . . ."

As the photographer dashed to get behind his camera, Videl looked up at Gohan though her lashes to find that he was staring down at her with a smile on his face. _God, he's handsome . . . Why didn't I notice that before?_

These two are the ideal models. _You can tell they're in love,_ thought the photographer. _Look at the way they're looking at each other . . ._ He quickly took the picture.

The photographer turned to Gohan and Videl. "I'll have your pictures ready by the end of the night."

"Can you do that?" asked Videl.

"I sure can! I'll have my buddy get them ready. You two are so cute. Young love . . ."

Gohan flushed furiously. "Oh, it's not like that!!"

"No, it's not," said Videl.

"Ah. SURE. Now you kids run along and have a good time tonight."

As they walked away, Gohan shoved his hands into his pockets. "Everyone seems to think we're more than friends."

"Which is absolutely ridiculous," added Videl, her arms crossed over her chest. After a moment of thought, she said, "How about we dance some more, Gohan?"

"That is why it's called a dance!" He took her hand and led her onto the dance floor.

*~*

Hours later, Videl told Gohan of her curfew. He looked down at his watch. "Then we'd better be going, huh?"

"I guess." Videl looked around. She didn't want to leave. Not yet. She was having too much fun. Together they said goodbye to Sharpner and Erasa and made their way towards the exit.

The photographer almost ambushed the two before they could leave. "I caught you two!!" He shoved two thick packets into each of their hands. "I made twenty wallets of each pose, and ten of each other size. Ten for each pose, may I remind you."

A sweat drop rolled down the back of Gohan's head. "That must have cost a fortune. Let me pay you for some of it."

"NO!!!! I'm just glad that I had the chance to photograph the two of you!!!!"

Videl smiled. "Well, we really appreciate it. Thank you."

"No problem! The only thing I ask is that you call me up when you guys set a date for your wedding so that I can take pictures. My number's in the packet."

Gohan turned beet-red. "We'llbesuretodothatthanksagainwegottago!! Bye!!!" He took Videl's hand and ran out of the gym.

They hopped into the limo and it took off.

"Gosh . . . a perfect stranger asking us when our wedding is . . . GEE!!" exclaimed Gohan as he tried to get a hold of himself.

"This IS getting a little out of hand," replied Videl. Then she laughed. "But you should have seen the look on your face when the photographer said that! It was priceless!"

Gohan gave her a look. "That's not funny."

"Yes, it was!! I-I wish y-you could''ve seen . . ." She couldn't finish her sentence as she erupted in a fit of giggles.

Gohan gave her a look and Videl forced back her laughter.

"Don't take it that seriously," said Videl. "You have to admit, it was sort of funny . . ."

"I guess . . ."

They fell into a comfortable silence that lasted for the remainder of the ride. When the limo stopped in front of the Hercule mansion, Gohan got out, went around the limo and opened Videl's door. She stepped out.

When they stepped out onto the porch, Videl placed a hand on Gohan's arm. 

"Before I go in . . . I just want to tell you that I had a great time, Gohan. I don't think I've had so much fun in one day in my life. Tonight has been an adventure all it's own."

He smiled at her. "It has, hasn't it? And I had a great time, too."

"That's good." Videl looked down at her feet, unsure of what to do or say next.

Gohan, caught up in the moment, acted without thinking. His actions seemed to be pure instinct as he placed his hand underneath her chin and tilted her face up. Keeping his eyes on her lips, he gently kissed her.

It was a feathery soft kiss- their lips barely touched. But Videl began to tingle all over, despite that. She blushed and took a tiny step back, noticing the red tint in Gohan's cheeks.

Before either of them could act, the door flew open.

"You're home, Videl," stated her father. He turned to Gohan. "You must've been her date. You're kinda puny, kid."

"Dad . . ." growled Videl.

"Never mind. Get into the house, Videl. It's late"

Videl rolled her eyes and did as she was told. "Bye, Gohan. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"See you later," he replied, his hands in his pocket.

Hercule watched as the two stared at each other with 'secretive' smiles on their faces. _What did those two do tonight? If I found out they did something they weren't supposed to, I'll . . ._

Hercule shut the door in Gohan's face.

*~*

After chewing out her Dad for slamming the door in Gohan's face, Videl went up to her room. When she got inside, she undressed and changed into a soft pair of pajamas. She dug around for an eight-by-eleven picture frame. She found one under her bed. It held a picture of her mother.

She took out the old photo and put in one of the photos of the second pose that the nice photographer had given her. Videl placed the frame onto the table next to her bed and stared at it for a while.

It has been a magical night . . . Too bad it has to end.

"Goodnight, Gohan," she whispered and turned off her light.

*~*

When Gohan arrived at his home, it was very late. Instead of using Instant Transmission, he'd opted to fly home. It gave him time to think.

Gohan unlocked the front door and stepped inside. He smiled, catching a glimpse of his mother lying asleep on the couch.

_She must've been waiting up for me . . ._

Gohan gave his mother a kiss on the forehead, then headed to his room, stopping to peek in on Goten, who was also fast asleep in his bed.

He took off his clothes and changed into a pair of sweat pants, his mind on the 'date' he'd had with Videl. He'd had fun, and he was sure that Videl had too.

The 'date' had given them both time to forget their worries.

But now he was back in the Son household, and all of his problems washed over him alike an incoming tide. Gohan felt a little guilty for having a good time on the anniversary of his father's death.

"He wouldn't have wanted you to mope around the house," he could almost hear his mother say. She'd told him that so many times before, but he'd never really believed her until now.

_I guess Mom's right. After all, Dad was a fun loving guy- when he wasn't fighting evil, of course._

Gohan felt his guilt eventually drift away. He sighed and turned off his light, falling into peaceful slumber.

_ Next Chapter: Gohan's class goes on a field trip to Capsule Corp. then spends the rest of the day in the city. Both Videl and Angela are competing for Gohan's attention throughout the trip. Who will win?_


	7. I Field Trip

**_Author's Note: Okay, it appears that a lot of "Gohan and his class take a field trip to CC" have been written.  Well, I didn't copy off of them; this is the ORIGINAL, where it all began.  So no flames about how I copied off of someone or how it's unoriginal, okay?_**

*~*

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. BUT, but, BUT!!!! The "field trip idea" is MINE!  As indicated in my AN, a lot of people have been using this idea without giving credit.  I don't suppose I mind . . . well, I kinda DO, but there's nothing I can do about it.  I'm just sad to see that my idea has turned into a cliché, overdone plot line . . .

*~*

**EDITING COMPLETED: ****4/10/2004******

*~* Chapter Seven *~*

Field Trip

The next morning, Videl felt as if she was walking on air. Evidently the feeling from last night hadn't washed away, but she didn't mind.

As she got dressed, this time choosing a pair of jeans and a red shirt, she found herself humming the tune from the box that Gohan had given her last night. Videl brushed her hair to the same tune.

She grabbed her book bag and practically skipped down the stairs and into the kitchen where she found a plate of food waiting for her.

"Morning," said Videl.

Her father looked up from his newspaper. He noticed the unusual smile on her face and the faint blush in her cheeks. "What are you so happy about?" he grumbled.

"Nothing."

As she placed a glass of milk in front of Videl, Iria grinned knowingly at the teen. "So, you had a good time last night?"

Videl nodded. "The best."

"I could tell," said the housemaid. "You look like a woman who's tasted love for the first time."

Videl's eyes widened and she flushed. "My relationship with Gohan isn't like that at all! We're just friends!"

Hercule, of course, took Iria's words the wrong way. "YOU SLEPT WITH HIM?!!" he exclaimed.

Videl jumped up put of her seat and snatched a piece of toast off of her plate. "I gotta go! See you later." She dashed out of the house, ignoring her father's angry shouts.

*~*

When Videl entered the school later that morning, a large group of girls flooded over to her. They began to pull on her, yanking her in all directions. Videl tried to shove the girls away, but there were just too many of them to shake off.

"You are, like, sooooo lucky!" cried one of the girls.

"Yeah!" agreed another. "Like, Gohan is, like, so HOT!"

Videl glared at the girls. "What in the world are you all talking about?!"

"Like, everyone in, like, school is talking about how you and Gohan are, like, going out!" said a girl with red hair as she jumped up and down. "So, like, tell us how good of a kisser he is!"

"Gohan and I are NOT going out," growled Videl as she tried to pull herself out of the grasp of the girls.

"You don't have to, like, _lie_, Videl! Everyone, like, saw you two at the dance. You were, like, all on each other and stuff."

I've got to put an end to this! I'm already tired of the way they overuse the word 'like'.

"Okay, listen up!" shouted Videl, quieting all of the giggling girls around her. "Maybe someone should write this down, cause I don't want to have to say it again." And that way, word will get around to the school newspaper where they can announce it in the next issue!! "Gohan and I are NOT, and I repeat, ARE NOT going out. There!"

"So does that mean that he's, like, up for grabs and stuff?!" shouted a girl. The other's waited eagerly for Videl's response.

_Up for grabs my ass! Not to any of you!!_

"Sure. Whatever." With that, Videl stomped off towards her locker.

_Those . . . pea-brained bimbos! Talking about Gohan like he's just some piece of meat or something . . . Uh! Disgusting!!_

When she got to her locker, she found Angela and her preppy groupies leaning against it. All of Angela's friends were just like her- obsessed with fashion, snobbish, popular and ANNOYING.

There goes my good mood! "Get out of my way," growled Videl.

"I don't think so," Angela replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Her friends did the same and shot evil grins at Videl.

"I said-"

"I'll consider moving . . . if you answer my question. Everyone in school is just dying to know what you did to get Gohan to go out with you, but I'm the only one with enough guts to ask. So Videl, what did you have to do- sleep with him?"

Videl was getting angry. VERY angry. "How dare you suggest something like that, bitch! Now get the hell out of my way, before I move you myself."

Angela snickered. "Oh, I'm scared. You know, Videl, if you want to keep Gohan, you might want to do something with your appearance. You look like you've just crawled out of a dumpster."

Her groupies giggled and they all tossed their hair again.

_Take a deep breath, Videl. Oh, wait! I can't. All of their damn perfume making me sick._

Seeing the angry look on Videl's face and the sneer on Angela's, a large group of students formed around them, anxious to see a fight.

"Gohan must have hit his head or something," she continued, "or he would have never agreed to take you to the dance."

_Count to ten, Videl . . . One, two, three . . ._

"What'd you do- give him a blow job?" Then she flipped her glossy hair over her shoulder with a laugh . . .

Videl snapped and let out a mighty growl. She lunged at Angela, causing both of them to hit the ground. Angela's groupies jumped back and let out screeches of horror.

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!!!" chanted the crowd.

A boy stepped forward, rubbing his hands together. "Alright, people! Let's start placing the bets! I've got a hundred Zeni on Videl!"

*~*

Gohan was just entering the school when some guy came up to him and slapped him hard on the back.  

Gohan stumbled forward, catching himself in time.

"Hey there, Gohan!"

Gohan looked the student over and he was sure that he'd never seen the guy before in his life. "Do I . . . uh, know you?" he asked, trying to be polite as usual.

The guy laughed as if Gohan had just said the funniest thing in the world. "Hell no! Not yet, anyway!"

"Oh . . . okay . . ."

"I just came by to congratulate you," said the boy.

"For what?"

He laughed again. "Man you're funny! No one has been able to get Videl to go out on a date. A lot of guys have asked her, including that Sharpner dude, and the girls say that he's one good looking fellow. So, what I wanna know- and every other guy in school- is how the hell did you get her to go out with you?"

"Our names came out of the class drawing," answered Gohan truthfully.

The guy gapped at him. "That's all? And she AGREED to go?"

"Yeah. Actually, I had to convince her a LITTLE but . . ."

"Ah. A little smooth talking, huh?" He winked at Gohan.

What is UP with this guy? "Uh, sure . . . Hey, look, I gotta go. It was nice talking to you, though."

"Sure! You da man, Gohan! You da man!"

Gohan watched, a little dazed, as the guy walked off. I wonder what that was all about. Oh, well. I'd better go to class.

Gohan ran up a flight of stairs and rounded a corner where he heard cheering and saw a large group of students watching something.

"I wonder what's going on here?" Gohan went up to the crowed. He pushed his way to the front, his eye's widening when he saw what everyone was looking at.

Videl was straddling Angela's waist, her hands trying to rip out her hair. Beneath Videl, Angela was wiggling around, unable to shake Videl's strong grip.

"SOMEONE GET THIS CRAZY BITCH OFF OF ME!!!!!!" exclaimed Angela as she began to kick her legs up into the air. "SHE'S RIPPING OUT MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR!!!!!"

"SHUT!! UP!! I'm tired of you running your fucking mouth!! And I'm tired of you flipping your damn hair around all the time!!!!"

Gohan entered the fight, pulling Videl's hands out of Angela's blond hair and hauling her off of the other girl. He grabbed Videl's wrists to prevent her from lunging at Angela again.

"Let me go! I'm going to kill her!" cried Videl as she struggled to get away from Gohan.

"No, you're not," said Gohan in a stern voice.

Videl sighed, recognizing Gohan's voice. She pulled herself from his grip with a huff, sticking her chin into the air.  After all, _she_ hadn't done a _thing_ wrong.

"What is going on, Videl? Why are you and Angela fighting?" asked Gohan, taking over the authoritative role.

Angela picked herself off of the floor as gracefully as she could. She brushed back her hair with her hand and let out a cry when she saw that she'd broken a nail. "She just attacked me! For no good reason, Gohan! She's crazy!"

"NO GOOD REASON?!! You basically called me a whore!" shouted Videl.

Gohan let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, okay. Calm down, both of you. First of all, Angela, you shouldn't have called Videl names. And you, Videl, shouldn't have attacked her. Now why don't you two say you're sorry and apologize . . ."

Videl stared at Gohan incredulously. "But-"

"Go on!"

"Fine. I'm sorry." Like I mean it, bitch. I would have beaten your ass if Gohan hadn't come along!

The other girl flipped her tangled hair over her shoulder. "Sorry." She and her friends turned and left.

The students groaned and broke up, heading to their classes.

"You're destroying my image," muttered Videl as she opened her locker.

Gohan laughed. "I just saved you from a suspension. You know the rules- no fighting."

Videl rolled her eyes and removed the books she needed from her locker. She slammed it shut and stalked off.

Gohan quickly caught up with her. "I was just looking out for you."

Videl sent him a quick smile. "I know. But she's so damn annoying . . . always flipping that damn hair of hers in everyone's faces. If you'd let me rip out her hair, I would've done everyone in the school a favor."

Gohan chuckled and shook his head. "You'll never guess what happened to me today." He went on to tell her about the guy he'd met in the hall.

Videl laughed. "Well, some girls came up to me and told me how LUCKY I was to be going out with you. Of course, I had to set them straight about us. We're just . . . friends."

"Right."

They entered the class together. It seemed as if news traveled fast around Orange Star High because many girls came up to Videl and told her how they'd wished that she'd taken out all of Angela's hair.

"See? I was right," said Videl as they took their seats.

Erasa and Sharpner then entered the classroom and went up to Videl and Gohan.

Erasa congratulated Videl for shaking Angela's confidence and took the seat next to her, leaving Sharpner in his regular seat. She then whispered into Videl's ear. "Yes, Videl, you can have my seat. I know how much it means to you to be next to Gohan." 

Videl flushed. "It's not like that," she hissed, realizing her mistake.

But Videl could not figure out why she'd taken the seat next to Gohan, knowing that Erasa sat there. It was an accident, she told herself. _I didn't take her seat INTENTIONALLY . . ._

The bell rang and the students began to take their seats. The sensei entered the classroom and began to hand out some papers, which turned out to be permission slips.

"Okay, students, I've got a surprise for you. We're going on a field trip tomorrow with another class," announced the teacher.

As Videl's classmates began to cheer, she muttered, "Aren't we too old for field trips?"

"We're going to the Capsule Corp. headquarters where you'll get the chance to meet Bulma Briefs herself!"

Gohan almost fell out of his chair. His class was going WHERE? He hadn't expected THIS!

"Then after we leave Capsule Corp., we'll do a little shopping and go to a nice restaurant for dinner. What do you guys think about that?"

When the class erupted in another cheer, Gohan lost himself in his thoughts.

_What in the world was Bulma thinking when she agreed to do this? What if Vegeta blows up the gravity room again while we're there? What if Trunks accidentally shows some of his real strength? What if some guy hits on Bulma and Vegeta beats him up? What if . . ._

*~*

Erasa stared at Gohan as he walked back and forth on the bleachers with a look of concentration on his face. He hadn't touched his lunch, which, she knew, was not like him at all.

"What's wrong with you, Gohan?" asked Erasa, seeing that no one else was.

"It's about that field trip we're going on tomorrow . . ."

"What about it?"

"I don't know what Bulma was thinking when she agreed to show some students around Capsule Corp. Things could get dangerous."

"Will you SIT DOWN? You're making me dizzy!" When he sat, Erasa took a deep breath and then continued. "You make it sound like you KNOW Bulma Briefs personally."

"I do."

This got Sharpner's attention. "Like hell you do. Stop lying."

"He does," said Videl.

"Wow," Erasa muttered. "How cool is that?"

"You worry too much, Gohan. Nothing's going to happen tomorrow," said Videl. _And why would it? Unless . . . _

Unless it had something to do with Gohan's secret?  She couldn't see the connection at all, but now she was _positive_ that she would be going on the trip.  

Gohan rubbed the back of his neck.  "Yeah, I guess you're right Videl.  Nothing's going to happen . . ." _Ah, my famous last words . . ._

*~*

Sharpner was furious by the end of the day. He was tired of seeing people go up to Videl and Gohan and ask them if they were dating. He wanted to break something. In fact, he had. The bell before, he'd spent the whole time snapping pens and pencils in half, envisioning Gohan in place of them.

He decided to skip his last bell and headed out to the racetrack. Sharpner noticed Angela Lockwood and several of her friends sitting in some bleachers. He couldn't help overhearing their conversation, considering the fact that Angela's groupies had high pitched voices.

"I can't believe her!" cried Angela. "She _broke_ my _nail_!" She cradled her hand to her chest.

"She's, like, so barbaric or something," one of her friends added. "I can't believe she, like, jumped on you like that!"

Angela growled. "I'm going to find some way to get Gohan away from her, if it's the last thing I do! Someone like her shouldn't be going out with a great guy like Gohan."

Angela's groupies nodded in agreement and flipped their hair. When Angela tried to do the same, she winced. "Oh, my head still hurts!"

"Like, poor thing," cooed all of her friends.

Sharpner snickered at them, then thought the situation over. Hmm . . . maybe I can use this to my advantage . . .

Sharpner approached the girls, his hands in his pockets. "Hello, ladies. Isn't this a fine day?"

Angela looked Sharpner over. Sharpner was decent-looking, but didn't come close to Gohan. His big muscles caught her attention, though. She decided to give him a chance rather than telling him to get lost. "I suppose so. Or it would have been, if that friend of yours hadn't attacked me this morning."

"Yes, well, she was wrong to do that," said Sharpner. "You know Angela, the two of us might be able to help each other out."

She wrinkled her nose. "If you think I'm going to make out with you or something, then-"

"No! It's not that. I think you can help me separate Gohan and Videl," he said quickly.

"Oh. That's what this is about?"

"Yeah. I know you want Gohan and I want Videl. If they were to split, then everything would work out for the both of us."

One of Angela's friends spoke up. "But this morning Videl said that, like, she and Gohan weren't, like, going out and stuff."

Angela sent the girl a glare. "She was lying, obviously! Did you see the way Gohan pulled her off of me and then took her side?"

"Well . . . he seemed, like, fair to me . . ."

"Shut up!" she snapped. Angela then turned back to Sharpner. "What do you have in mind?"

He told her about his plan with the Hercule drawing.

"That's a good plan . . . but how are we going to make sure Videl finds out that Gohan entered the contest?"

"This is where YOU come in. The entries for the contest will be put into a computer and then randomly drawn. Your dad's company is going to be in charge of that. All you have to do is get a print up of all the names of the people who entered."

Angela gave Sharpner another look. "How'd you find this out?"

"I did a little nosing around. But that doesn't matter. Will you help?"

She smiled. "Of course I will, Sharpner! And if your plan fails, then I'll have another one ready. How does that sound?"

"Great. But my plan WON'T fail. It can't." _There's no way I'm going to loose Videl_.

*~*

When Gohan arrived home later that afternoon, the first thing he did was hand his mother the permission slip for the trip. After she read it over, she looked up at Gohan suspiciously.

"And you'll be excused from all of your classes?" asked Chichi.

"Yes, Mom."

She stared up at her son for a while. "Well, I honestly don't see why you want to go. You've been over to Capsule Corp a million times and there's nothing new there."

"MOM! Come on. I know everyone else is going to go. You want me to be with my friends, right?"

Chichi thought it over. "If you told me you wanted to go to be near Videl, THEN I might consider it . . ."

"Mom . . ." groaned Gohan. He then gave her his patented puppy dog look.

She let out a huge sigh, unable to resist. "Fine! You can go!" Chichi signed her name at the bottom of the paper.

Gohan gave his mother a huge hug. "Thanks!"

Just as Gohan was about to leave, Chichi said, "You know, you never did tell me about your date. How was it?"

"Just fine, Mom." Don't ask anymore, PLEASE!!!

"You're not getting off that easily, Gohan! Tell me what happened."

Gohan told his mom about the 'date' he'd had with Videl. He skipped the kissing part- she didn't need to know that.

Hearts immediately formed in Chichi's eyes. "You see? I'm not the only one who thinks you two would make a great couple!" she said, speaking of the photographer from the other night. "And I want to see those pictures! Now!"

Gohan went to his room and got a few. He returned to the kitchen and handed them to his mother. Chichi sighed romantically as she gazed down at the pictures. "How I wish that Goku and I had gone to a dance together! You two look adorable! Imagine how your wedding photos will look!!!"

He took a step back and held up his hands. "Woah, Mom. We're JUST FRIENDS."

Chichi threw up her hands in frustration. "Okay, Gohan! Don't listen to your mother! But I'm telling you, you two are going to end up falling in love!"

Gohan kissed his mother's forehead. "I've got a ton of homework, Mom. I better get started."

As her eldest son walked away, Chichi shook her head. _I wish you were here, Goku. Maybe that boy would listen to YOU, if not me._

*~*

Hercule looked over the permission slip. "Capsule Corp, huh? I met Bulma Briefs before. That is _one hot lady_. Too bad she's married to that crazy looking guy with the big forehead . . ."

Videl rolled her eyes and gagged in disgust. Oh, yeah. I really want to hear my Dad talk like that about Gohan's friend. "Do you mind? I'd like to keep my dinner in my stomach."

He sent his daughter a look and scribbled down his name onto the permission slip. "Here. Now leave me alone." He tossed Videl the paper.

She folded it up and slipped it into her pocket.

"While you're at Capsule Corp, try and find out if that Bulma woman really has a special training room there. I've heard some rumors about it," said her father.

Videl raised a slim eyebrow. "Really? What's so special about it?"

Hercule shrugged his shoulders. "I know that oaf of a husband of hers trains in the room and, for a tiny man, he's got a lot of muscles. Not that he's any stronger than me!"

_A training room, hmm? Maybe I could take a peek and try it out, see what's so great about it._

Videl had found another mission to replace her old one- to discover the 'secret' to Bulma Brief's secret training room. 

_*~* The Next Day *~*_

Gohan stepped onto the yellow school bus, taking a seat on the bus near the front. He watched as the more rowdy students filled the seats in the back. Gohan smiled when Videl stepped onto the bus and looked around for an empty seat. When she caught sight of Gohan, she slid into the seat next to him.

Gohan eyed Videl appreciatively. She'd done away with the old-Videl look. Her hair was down like it had been at the dance. Instead of wearing form-concealing clothes, she'd opted for a more feminine look. He flushed slightly as his thoughts floated back to the kiss they'd shared two days ago and how beautiful she'd looked that night in her dress . . .

Videl turned to Gohan, noticing the faint blush in his cheeks. "Still worried?" she asked.

Gohan shook himself from his thoughts and nodded. "A bit."

"Hmm . . . Well, try not to worry too much, Gohan. I'm sure everything will be just fine." Videl began to feel a little guilty about deciding to look for the secret training room when Gohan was so worried that something could go wrong. But Gohan was not going to stop her- she was going to hunt for that room and find out its secret.

As the two sat in comfortable silence, Sharpner and Angela stepped onto the bus, their eyes falling on Gohan and Videl. Neither of them noticed the heated looks that they were receiving from the two jealous teens- they were engrossed in a conversation about something. Sharpner and Angela took a seat together, not too far behind Gohan and Videl.

"I can't stand it, Sharpner! When the hell is that drawing?" hissed Angela, shooting death glares at Videl as she laughed at something Gohan said.

"In two days. Just hold on, Angela," Sharpner said. "I don't like seeing Gohan and Videl together like that any more than you."

Angela's gaze narrowed even more. She tapped her newly manicured fingers on her thigh. "You'll soon find out, Sharpner, that I'm not a very patient person. Nor am I a push over, OR someone who gives up easily."

Sharpner smirked. "Believe me, I know that already."

Angela ignored his last comment and kept her eyes on Videl. Enjoy him while you can, bitch, because in a few days, Gohan will be mine.

A few hairs on the back of Videl's neck stood up. She shivered, rubbing her arms. What was that? It got so cold all of a sudden . . .

Gohan sent her a concerned look. "Are you alright?"

She nodded hesitantly. "Yeah . . . I'm fine."

Gohan noticed the goose bumps on her arms. "You sure? Are you cold? Do you want my jacket?"

Videl rolled her eyes. "I said I was okay. It was nothing."

Gohan eyed her, then sat back in his seat. There was nothing he could do if she didn't tell him what was wrong.

Suddenly the students began to shout as the bus took off. About forty-five minutes later, they arrived out side of Capsule Corp. People began to stick their heads out of the window, anxious to catch a glance of Bulma Briefs.

Bulma, Vegeta and Trunks were standing out front, waiting for them. Gohan groaned when he saw the irritated look on the Saiyan Prince's face, his arms crossed over his chest in his usual way. But his glare was more intense than usual, causing warning signs to flash in Gohan's mind.

"Wow! He's handsome!" some girl on the bus cried out, referring to Vegeta. "If that's Bulma's husband, then she's lucky!"

Gohan groaned again when several guys began to stare at Bulma's shapely form and comment. _They're all going to be dead before this trip is over . . ._

The students practically tripped over each other to get off of the bus. Videl and Gohan waited until everyone else had stepped off, then exited.

As the students gathered in front of her, Bulma immediately began to search for Gohan. She spotted him walking next to Videl. _There they are . . . My, don't they make a cute couple?! Chichi was right!_

When the students had all quieted down, Bulma gave them a smile. "Welcome to Capsule Corp. headquarters! I'd like to introduce my son, Trunks and my husband, Vegeta. They'll be accompanying us on the tour."

Just then, Trunks ran off into the crowd of students and emerged with his Gohan as he pulled him to the front of the group. "Hiya Gohan!" he exclaimed, waving his arms madly.

The students gawked at Gohan, not believing that the son of Bulma Briefs knew Gohan on a first name basis.

The same guy who'd attacked Gohan in the hall the morning before spoke up. "Whoa! You know the Briefs, Gohan?"

Seeing Gohan's flushed face, Bulma answered for him. "Gohan and his family are old friends of mine. Now, how about we get started."

"Before we begin," grunted Vegeta, his harsh voice stopping the students dead in their tracks, "I'd like to say that if I see any one of you looking at or touching my . . . Bulma, I'll knock the . . . crap out of you. Understand?" He gave the males of the group a meaningful glance.

The guys nodded hesitantly and the group started forward.

Gohan shook his head, a sweat drop rolling down the back of his head. He'd known that this was going to happen.

"Why are ya looking so sad, Gohan?" asked little Trunks.

"I'm not sad," he answered.

Videl caught up with them. She smiled down at the little boy who'd practically attached himself to Gohan's leg. "Goten talks about you a lot," she said.

Trunks grinned. "Really? Well, he talks about you even more than he talks about his own brother! And Gohan's the one who defeated- ummmph!!!"

Gohan slapped his hand over Trunks' mouth. "SHUT UP, Trunks!"

"Oops!" Then little boy giggled and hopped on Gohan's back. "Onward ho! To the house!" he cried.

Videl laughed and walked really fast to keep up with Trunks and his pony, Gohan.

When they arrived, Bulma began to speak about how the Capsule Corp headquarters served as a home as well as a laboratory. "It's really convenient! I don't have to get up early in the morning and drive to work. I can walk down some steps and end up in my office."

The students went "ohhh" and "ahhh" as they looked around.

Vegeta glared at the students, particularly Gohan who was playing with Trunks. He used the link that he and Bulma shared due to the fact that they'd bonded to speak. 'I'm going to train. Yell through the link if you need me.'

Bulma gave him a look. 'Don't blow anything up. You might hurt a kid.'

'Then make sure they don't get anywhere near the gravity room. Is that too hard for you, woman?'

Bulma rolled her eyes. 'No. Go away then.'

Vegeta walked off, heading outside.

Videl took notice of Vegeta's sudden departure. She remembered what her father had said about Vegeta training in the room. She glanced around- no one was watching. She made her way over to the door that Vegeta had used and slipped outside.

Videl looked around. Where _the hell did he go? He couldn't have gone anywhere that fast!_

"Looking for me?"

She let out a squeak and turned around. There stood Vegeta behind her, giving her a menacing glare. How did he do that?

"What do you want? Why aren't you at the tour with your boyfriend and the rest of those fools?" he asked, taking a step closer to her.

Videl refused to be intimidated. She tilted her head up a bit and stared right at Vegeta. "Gohan's not my boyfriend, if that's who you mean."

Vegeta smirked. "Oh, yeah? GOHAN! GOHAN!!" he exclaimed, mimicking the reaction that Videl had had the day of the parade when the city hall building had blown up. "And I saw the way you threw yourself at him. Disgusting, really."

Videl flushed. What the hell was Bulma Briefs thinking when she married THIS creep?! "I'm looking for a special training room. Do you know where it is?" she said, choosing to ignore his previous remark.

Vegeta's gaze grew more intense and his smirk faded. "There is no special room. Get back inside. Now."

When Videl didn't move, Vegeta grabbed her arm and shoved her inside. She blinked several times and stumbled back into the dome shaped house.

_Dad was right! That guy IS crazy!_ Videl shook her head and caught up with the rest of the class.

*~*

Halfway through the tour, Videl's thoughts began to float back to the secret room. She was SURE that there was one. She just had to find it. As Bulma led them through a long hallway, she began to walk slower until she was separated from the group.

Videl took off. She remembered passing a hallway that Bulma hadn't led them down. She suspected that the room was down that hall.

Videl found the hall and slowly walked down it. At first she didn't see any doors, then spotted one all the way at the end. She slowly pushed the door open.

"Ah ha! A room!" she gasped as she stepped in. It was sort of bare, with no weights or anything. What kind of place was this?

She wandered over to a set of controls and eyed all of the buttons. She then turned her attention to the rest of the room. "But what's so special about it?"

"Would you like for me to show you?"

Videl jumped and whirled around. Sitting in a dark corner was Vegeta. "Where the HELL did you come from?!"

"Why the hell are you snooping around my house?"

"Why the hell do you insist on sneaking up on me, then annoying the HELL out of me?!"

"Why the hell do you insist on being a nosy little onna?" 

Videl threw up her hands. "You are SOO annoying!" She then glared at him, then looked around the room. "You lied. This is some sort of training room, isn't it? But where is the equipment?"

Vegeta stood. "There is none."

"So . . . then what does this place actually do?"

"None of your business- girl. Now get out."

"No!"

Vegeta eyed the Videl. "You remind me of that brat's mother, Chichi." He began to circle Videl, eyeing her and secretly reading and analyzing her ki. At least she's stronger than that idiot father of hers.

Videl gave him a look. "What are you doing? Are you crazy?"

"For your first question, I'm trying to see if you're as good at fighting as everyone says you are. And as for the second . . . that is debatable."

She looked at him as if he were a psychopath.

"It was a joke, onna. I'm sure you've heard of a JOKE before."

"Excuse me if it wasn't very funny," she growled.

Vegeta continued to judge her strengths. "Hmm . . . you have potential. With a little work you could easily take down that idiot Krillin."

"Who?"

Vegeta walked over to the controls. "Would you like to test out the room? Do you think you can handle it?" he sneered.

Videl placed her hands on her waist. "I can take whatever you can dish out, buddy."

He snorted and began to fiddle with the controls. "Hardly. Now brace yourself."

"For what?"

Vegeta did not answer her. Videl was about to give him a piece of her mind when she felt weight being pressed down on her body. She groaned and felt her knees beginning to shake. "What . . . is . . . this? What are you doing?"

"It's _gravity_. This is a _gravity room_," he said as if she were stupid.

"And . . . what does that . . . mean?"

"The gravity in this room can be changed. I've made it ten times the normal gravity on earth." Vegeta laughed as Videl slid to the ground. "I can see it was a bit too much."

"NO!" She struggled to her feet only to fall again.

Vegeta reduced the gravity to five times. Videl could stand in this setting. She tried to do a few kicks and punches, finding that it was extremely hard. She continued for a few minutes under Vegeta's gaze. There was a faint whizzing sound as he shut off the machine.

"Hey!" cried Videl. "I wasn't done!"

Vegeta lowered himself into a fighting stance. "You are now. I challenge you, girl. Do you accept?"

Videl was never the one to back down from a challenge. "You've got it, buddy."

*~*

Gohan was half-listening to Bulma's speech about her newest Capsule home and half listening to Trunks talk about how he was going to defeat Vegeta the next time they spared when he felt someone's ki flare up a tiny bit. He looked around. _I must be imagining it. It's not Vegeta . . . I can recognize his . . . Who . . ._

Gohan noticed that Videl was missing. "Oh, no," he groaned. Bulma raised an eyebrow at him. He gave her a look that said trouble, untangled Trunks from his leg and took off.

*~*

Videl growled as Vegeta easily blocked each and every one of her attacks. He was grinning evilly at her.

"Come on, girl! Is that all you've got?" he cried, laughing at her.

This made her more determined. She brought her fist up to punch him. As Vegeta moved to block her punch, Videl lifted her leg to kick him.

She let out a startled cry as Vegeta shoved her leg away from him. Videl, stumbled, regained her balance and then resumed her attack.

Vegeta chuckled and shook his head. "This is just too easy!" He caught Videl's leg as she tried to kick him again, then yanked her other leg from under her. She fell onto her back.

Gohan entered the room, throwing the door open and racing inside. He gasped when he saw Videl picking herself off of the floor. "What happened?" he asked Vegeta. _He's gone too far this time!_

"I was just testing her out," he muttered. "She needs work. She's too slow and her moves are too predictable. Not to mention the fact that she's just weak overall."

Videl shot him a glare. "Not everyone has a gravity room, buddy! Back off!"

Gohan was surprised. "You told her about it?!"

Vegeta nodded. "Now you two get out of here. I need to train."

"But-" began Videl.

"GET OUT! I won't get any decent training done with a weakling like you as my partner." Vegeta smirked. "Why don't you tell Trunks to come in here? At least with him, I'll get some work done."

"Are you suggesting that a KID is stronger than me?! Why, I otta-"

Gohan pulled her out of the training room and led her down the hall.

"What were you thinking?" he demanded. "Vegeta's dangerous! He could've killed you!"

"I doubt it. Besides, I know I can take him!"

"No, you can't! Please listen to me. If he wanted to, he could have really hurt you. I'm surprised that you're able to walk right now."

Videl eyed Gohan. "You're serious?" When he nodded, she said, "Well, I bet he isn't strong enough to beat my Dad."

" . . . . " came from Gohan.

"But that training room is amazing! I wonder if Bulma will let me come back and use it once and a while. Imagine the progress I could make in there!"

"Just . . . don't tell anyone about the room," said Gohan. "It's supposed to be a secret, right?"

Videl nodded. "Right. I won't."

Gohan and Videl caught up with the group a few minutes later. They were back where they'd begun, out in front of Capsule Corp.

"I hope you all had fun and enjoyed the tour," Bulma was saying. "It was a pleasure having you all."

As the students filed back onto the bus, Bulma pulled Gohan aside. "What happened? Where'd you go?"

"I found Vegeta sparing with Videl in the gravity room."

"What?! Is she okay? She's not hurt?" asked Bulma frantically.

"No, she's fine. But she says that she wants to come back sometime and use the room, if that's fine with you."

"That's okay with me! Tell her that she can stop by anytime she likes!"

Gohan nodded. "Alright. I'll see you later, Bulma."

When Gohan got on the bus, he was a little surprised to see Sharpner sitting next to Videl. He'd picked up on the fact that Videl didn't like him very much, even if Sharpner hadn't.

Videl shot Sharpner a glare and then gave Gohan an apologetic look. Gohan just shrugged his shoulders and took the only empty seat left . . . next to Angela.

She beamed up at him as he sat down on the very edge of the seat, as far away from the girl as possible. She grabbed his arm and roughly yanked on his arm, forcing Gohan closer to her.

"I didn't see you at all during the tour!" she exclaimed, keeping his arm clutched against her breast. "Now we can spend time together while we shop!"

"Uh . . . sure . . ." Gohan removed his arm from her tight grasp. "How about we ask Videl to shop with us? Yes, that sounds like a good idea!"

Angela's smile slipped a bit. "Sure, Gohan. If . . . Sharpner gets to come." There goes my chance to be alone with him!

"Okay . . . if Erasa comes."

She let out a sigh. "FINE! Why don't we invite the whole damn school along?!"

Gohan gave her a look and raised an eyebrow.

She flushed. " Sorry."

Meanwhile, Videl was trying to get Sharpner off of her back.

"Where'd you disappear to during the tour, Videl?" he asked. He draped his arm over the back of the seat, drawing himself closer to her."

"I went to the bathroom."

"Really? Did you happen to run into Gohan along the way? Because he left too. That guy is always disappearing some place . . ."

"I don't know where Gohan went, but I was in the bathroom, like I said the FIRST TIME," she growled out. "Now back off."

"Whatever. Say, Videl, how about we shop together, huh? How does that sound?"

_Absolutely horrible!_ "I . . . already promised Gohan that we'd go together."

"No prob. Then I'll go with you," he said smoothly. "And then we can invite Angela, too."

"WHAT?! Are you nuts?!"

"Come on, Videl! She's not that bad!"

She groaned. "Fine. But then Erasa gets to come. There's no way that I'm going to be the only girl in the group besides that valley-girl bimbo."

*~*

The bus stopped in front of the Satan City Mall and the students once again almost fell over each other to get off of the bus. Their teacher announced to them that they had to meet in front of a restaurant called The Grape Vine at six for dinner. Then the students were free to go.

Angela latched herself onto Gohan's arm again, much to his dismay. "Let's go," she chirped.

"W-wait! We've gotta go get the others, remember?"

She pouted. "Alright."

Gohan managed to gather Videl, Sharpner and Erasa. They walked into the mall together.

Videl glared at Angela as she clung to Gohan like Saran-Wrap. So disgusting. She can't even tell that Gohan doesn't want her around! Talk about dense! She then sent Sharpner a glare as he tried to slip his arm around her shoulders.

"What do you think you're doing?" she growled.

"Aww, come on, Videl. I was just-"

"Spare me." She spotted a store that focused on martial arts. Videl went over to Gohan, pried Angela away from him, and dragged him into the store.

"Gee, thanks, Videl," he said breathlessly. "I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, well, I hate leeches too." Videl walked over to a rack of fighting gi for women and began to sort through them.

Angela entered the store and frowned. "What is this place?" She spotted a Chinese style outfit hanging on the wall. "Ohhh, is this a costume shop?"

Erasa forced back her laughter. "It's a martial arts store. They sell tapes and books and fighting clothes. Stuff like that."

Videl took out a gi and turned to Gohan. She held it up to herself. "How does this look?"

He looked over the outfit. It was attractive with long blue sleeves that flared at the end. Gohan raised an eyebrow at the bottom of it- it was a skirt. There was a Ying-Yang symbol in the middle. "You'd actually wear a skirt?"

She rolled her eyes and lifted up the hem of the skirt. "There are SHORTS underneath."

Gohan grinned sheepishly. "Oh. Well . . . it looks nice. Looks like it would allow a lot of movement, too."

She stared down at it. "Hmm . . . does that mean you like it?"

Before Gohan could answer, Angela shoved Videl out of the way and held up a gi of her own. "I think that this one looks a lot better! Maybe I should buy it and save it for Halloween . . ."

Videl wanted to strangle to girl but Erasa held her back. "Calm down," muttered her friend.

She took several deep breaths and went to pay for the outfit, mumbling under her breath the whole time.

They left that store and began to wander throughout the mall, window shopping.

"So Videl," said Gohan, "What did you buy the gi for?"

"My Dad said that a Tenkaichi Budokai is coming up pretty soon. I'm going to enter," she announced. 

Gohan was surprised. "A Tenkaichi Budokai? Really?"

"Yep. All the best fighters will be there and I want to test my strengths, see how I can improve and stuff like that. And I'm doing it for the challenge."

Gohan didn't know if he liked that idea. After all, all sorts of strange people ended up fighting in the tournament-- people with powers beyond Videl's comprehension. "Well, you just tell me when it is, and I'll come out and watch, okay?" And make sure nothing goes wrong.

Videl smiled. "Okay. I'll be sure to do that."

Angela yawned loudly. "You guys are so boring. Let's talk about something EVERYONE can enjoy, okay?"

Videl shot the girl a look. "Okay." _Bitch_.

"Okay," mirrored Angela, her voice sugary sweet. _Bitch._

*~*

Videl groaned as Angela dragged Gohan into another perfume store. For the past few hours, the group had gone into every store that Angela wanted to go in, which turned out to be stores that Videl hated.

"She's doing this on purpose," grumbled Videl as she followed them into the store. Her nose immediately began to burn as the different fragrances in the store mixed together.

Gohan began to look around for something his mother might like. Now, what would an OLDER woman buy . . . He picked a body wash set and sniffed it. He smiled. It smelled like apple. He went over to Videl and showed her the set. "You think my mother would like this?"

"You know she'd like anything that you gave her," said Videl with a smile. "You're a bit of a momma's boy, Gohan."

He frowned, pretending to be hurt. "I am not!"

"I'm sure Chichi will like it. Maybe I should get her something, too. After all, she was very nice to me when I came over to your place, even after . . . you know."

Angela, who'd, of course, been eavesdropping on their conversation, gasped. "You've been over to Gohan's house?!"

Videl gave the other girl an evil grin. "I sure have. I've even been in his bedroom . . . He has the most comfortable mattress . . ."

Gohan's eyes widened. "VIDEL!!" He turned to Angela. "It wasn't like that . . ."

Angela glared at Videl, then gave Gohan a sweet smile. "I'm sure it wasn't. What an awful thing to imply, Videl. Why don't you go pay for that, Gohan?"

When he left, Angela turned to Videl and hissed, "Look, bitch, stay away from Gohan."

"I can do whatever I want."

The other girl flipped her hair over her shoulder and smirked. "Okay. But in a few days, Gohan WILL be mine. I can guarantee that."

What the hell is she up to? "If Gohan wanted you, then he'd be your boyfriend."

Angela just smiled secretively. "Enjoy his company while it lasts, Videl. He won't be yours for long."

*~*

Videl's thoughts were still focused on Angela's words as the group headed over to the restaurant they were supposed to meet the class at. When they reached The Grape Vine, their teacher checked their names off of a list and told them to grab a table and order their food.

They chose a booth near the back of the restaurant. Videl slid into the booth, followed by Gohan. Just as Erasa was about to sit next to Gohan, she was pushed out of the way by Angela. The blond girl took the space and gave Erasa a fake smile. Of course Gohan didn't notice any of that- he'd been to busy looking through his menu.

Videl wasn't really hungry. She had a weird feeling in the bottom of her stomach, one that wouldn't go away. She nibbled on her bottom lip, then glanced quickly at Gohan. Whatever Angela was up wouldn't be good for either of them. She was absolutely sure about that.

But what could Angela do? Not much.  She was just some ditzy airhead and, if she wanted to, Videl could kick her scrawny ass into the next millennium.  _And besides, if she wants Gohan, she can have him. He's not mine._  For some reason, that thought really didn't sit well with her. _ But . . . he deserves better. MUCH better than her._

"Videl! Hey, Videl!"

She shook herself from her thoughts. Erasa was leaning across the table, waving at her. "Hello, anyone in there?"

"Wha . . . what's going on?"

"We're ordering, silly! Now tell the nice waiter what you want. Then you can go back to daydreaming."

Videl flushed. "Umm . . . I'll have a burger, well done, fries and a milkshake," she said.

The waiter took her order, then left.

Angela wrinkled her nose. "How can you eat all of that greasy food? You'll be as big as a house!" she exclaimed, trying to sound innocent as she spoke.

"I work out," growled Videl. "But thanks for your concern. I really appreciate it."

"No problem."

*~*

As they waited for their food to come, Gohan was vaguely aware of the tension between Angela and Videl. It was obvious that they didn't like each other, but for what reason, he didn't know. And being sandwiched in between the two feuding girls didn't help him much. On his left, Videl was sitting very stiff. She was staring down at the table, not paying any attention to the conversation they were having.

_I can't stand it! I wish I knew what was going on. Gee . . . why am I always left in the dark about something . . ._

He jumped when he felt a hand rest on his thigh. What the . . . heck?! Gohan glanced once again at Videl. Both of her hands were fiddling with her straw. Then he slowly turned to look at Angela . . .

_What in the world does she think she's doing?! Calm down, Gohan. Maybe she's doing it by accident . . . Yeah, that's it. He, he._

Those thoughts washed away as her hand slid even further up his thigh . . .

When she pinched him, he jumped up, hitting his knee on the table. "AWWW, CRAP! OW, OW, OW!!"

"Something wrong, Gohan?" Angela asked innocently.

"Errrr . . . no! Not at all! Just ignore me! Uh . . . on the other hand . . . will you switch seats with me, Videl?"

She looked disgusted at the idea. "Why?"

"Just do it!" he hissed, shooting nervous looks at Angela. Videl rolled her eyes.

"Fine." She stood up and she and Gohan switched seats.

The rest of dinner was uneventful. Videl was spaced out while Angela constantly tried to flirt with Gohan. Erasa kept most of the conversation going. Sharpner, however, was very quiet.

When dinner was over, the students returned to the bus. This time, Gohan made sure that he was sitting next to Videl. He didn't want Angela hanging all over him again.

The bus ride back to school was just as loud as it had been before. Videl and Gohan sat in silence as usual until they arrived at school. The sun was beginning to set, turning the blue sky peach.

The class exited the bus and the students went their separate ways. As Videl headed to her copter parked in the student parking lot, Gohan followed her.

"Bulma said that you could stop by any time to use the room," said Gohan.

She smiled up at him. "Really? Awesome."

"Just . . ." Gohan frowned. "Don't push yourself too hard in there," he said. "You could get hurt."

"I can take care of myself, Gohan. Like I said before, you worry too much!" She began to unlock the door to her copter. "Do you . . . uh, need a ride home?"

"Nah. I'm fine." Gohan took a step back.

" . . . Okay then." She hopped in and started the copter up. She gave him a tiny wave and flew off.

*~*

Gohan used his Instant Transmission technique to get home. He gave his mother the gift he'd bought her and presented Goten with a talking Saiyaman action figure. His face lit up light a Christmas tree as he tore the box open and ran off to call Trunks.

As usual, Chichi wanted to know every single detail about the trip. When Gohan got to the part about the dinner, Chichi exclaimed, "SHE DID WHAT?!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!!"

"Videl and I changed places. After that, everything was fine."

Chichi looked thoughtful. "Hmm . . . romantic competition! It sounds like this Angela girl likes you and she's jealous that you hang around Videl a lot."

"What? No way!"

"Come on, Gohan! You told me that she was clinging to you like second skin throughout the entire trip. And you said that she was rude to Videl, too. Well, when a teenage girl hates another like that, she's usually jealous of the other girl."

"So what am I supposed to do? How do I get her to leave me alone?"

"Tell her off!"

"MOM!"

Chichi sighed. "Okay, since you're Mister Nice-Guy, I guess you should let her down gently. Is that better?"

Gohan sighed. "I never knew that high school would be this hard . . ."

_Next Chapter:__ It's the day of the big drawing!! Need I say more?_


	8. I Broken Trust

Author's Note: A lot of you all are wondering about the Tenkaichi Budokai and who's gonna be in it. Well, it's a secret! Well, may you can have ONE hint- some old and new guys are coming! I guarantee it won't be who you think. Anyone who knows me well would be able to guess . . . Anyway, don't worry about that, cuz it's not coming anytime soon. And yes, there IS a bad guy (what would DBZ be w/out it?) but no green lizard with the boobs (Babadi), Dabura or Buu. 

Advertising has moved to the end. I don't want yall to become interested in another story and go to read that one and forget all about me! Just kidding.
    
    This chapter is a little shorter than the others are. Sorry.

__

*~* Chapter Eight *~*

Broken Trust

Videl watched as her father flexed his muscles in front of the mirror in one of his many training rooms that were scattered throughout the mansion.

"Hu! Ha! Hu-WA!" he exclaimed as he went through different poses. "KEEP WORKING GUYS!" he shouted to his students who were using the room. "MAYBE YOU'S GUYS WILL HAVE BIG MUSCLES LIKE ME SOME DAY! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Videl rolled her eyes. "Dad, will STOP THAT for at least ONE second so that I can talk to you?"

Hercule paused for a second, then turned to his daughter. "Sure, muffin! What do you want to talk about?"

"The drawing tomorrow."

Her father's face lit up. "The drawing, eh? So you've finally come around?"
    
    "No. I'm begging you to call it off. Please," she said.

Hercule shook his head. "No can do! Almost every television station is gonna be filming the drawing. There's no way I can tell them all to forget it."

She sighed and shook her head. "Well, I can't say that I didn't try . . ." As she turned to leave, her father asked, "Did you find that training room at Capsule Corp.?"

"No. There is no training room. After all, you said yourself that you heard _rumors_ about it." To prevent her father from asking anymore questions, she quickly went up to her room and flopped onto her bed.

__

No use sulking, Videl. He's obviously not going to change his mind. And besides, don't you have a literature paper to work on?

She dug around her book bag for the book that they were supposed to be reading, The Tale of Genji. With a sigh, she opened it and stared down at the pages. But Videl was unable to concentrate.
    
    She tossed the book onto the floor and turned on the television. On every channel there was something about her father's drawing. With a cry of frustration, she flicked off the tv and flung the remote at her door.

There was only one thing that would help her release her frustration- training.

She dressed in a white t-shirt and her usual black shorts and headed down to her private training room. She stared down the punching bag, then let out a growl. Videl envisioned her father's cocky, grinning face in place of the bag, then, with all of her might, began to attack it.

"That . . . jerk . . . doesn't care . . . about . . . anyone . . . else!" she grunted, punching the bag.

This went on for about an hour until Iria stepped into the room with a cordless phone in her hand. "Videl, you've got a phone call."

Videl wiped her forehead with the back of her head. She gave Iria a smile, then took the phone. "Hello?"

"Um . . . Videl?"

"Yes, it's me."
    
    "Oh! This is Gohan."

She rolled her eyes. "I know. What do you want?"

"Er . . . I wanted to know . . . if you'd started on . . . that paper yet. I need some help."

"Really? YOU need MY help in school work?"

There was silence from the other end.

"Gohan?"

"Haha! I DO need your help!"

"RIGHT. Now tell me what you really want."

Gohan sighed. "Okay. My mom was watching the news and the drawing was mentioned. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Videl blinked several times. No one had ever been so concerned about her before. "Um, thanks for calling. I'm just fine." _Or I will be when I knock the stuffing out of my Dad . . . er, punching bag, I meant._

"Well, that's good. Who knows, maybe Sharpner will win the contest."

Videl snorted and sat on the floor. "Why would I want that to happen?"

"You know him. It'll be a lot easier to live with someone you know, rather than a stranger."

She thought that over. "You have a point . . . but that doesn't mean that I want him living here. I'm tired of him hitting on me!"

Gohan chuckled. "Well-"

"GOHAN, GET IN HERE NOW!!!!"

On the other end, Gohan winced. "My mom's calling me. Hold on, I'll be back in a minute." He tossed the phone onto his bed, then ran out of his room.

Goten grinned and snuck into his brother's room. He picked up the phone. "HIYA, VIDEL!"

"Hey, Goten! What's up?"

"Trunks told me that you fought with his Dad. Did ya?! Did ya?!"

She laughed. "I sure did."

"AWESOME!! I haven't fought against him yet!"

Videl frowned. "Of course you haven't. He's way too strong for you."

"I don't think so. But of course, Mommy would have a COW if she found out that I fought Vegeta!"

"I'm sure she would."

"Say, Videl . . ."

"Yes?"

"W-will you marry Gohan? So then I'll have two mommies, since Gohan's like my dad?"

"Uh . . . marriage is a big step, Goten. Besides, Gohan and I are just friends!" _What an . . . imagination!_

"Aww," he mumbled, sounding a little upset.

"Goten, what are you doing?"

The little Saiyan jumped, dropping the phone. "I was just talking to Videl, Gohan!"

Gohan eyed his brother, who was looking a little guilty. "Get out of here squirt," he said, ruffling his little brother's hair.

Goten took off and Gohan picked up the phone. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay. Your brother's a cute kid cute. Almost makes me wish I had a younger brother."

Gohan snotred, thinking of all of the bad things Goten had done in the past. "Almost. Anyway, stay cool Videl."

Videl laughed. "Right. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Alright, then. Well . . . bye."

"Bye."

Videl ended the call, then looked up to find her father standing in the doorway. "Were you eavesdropping on my conversation?"

Hercule glared at his daughter. "Who the heck is this Gohan? His name sounds familiar . . ."

"He's no one."

Hercule crossed his arms over his chest and watched as Videl began to resume her attack on the punching bag. "WOAH! Is he that skinny kid that took you to the dance?!"

Videl did not answer.

"HE IS!! How did he get this number?! Or did you call him?"

"I . . . called . . . him," she lied, still attacking the bag.

"WHY?!"

Videl growled, then gave the bag a swift punch. The seams spilt and sand came rushing out onto the floor. Hercule just gapped- he'd never done anything like that before.

Videl took a deep breath. She walked past her stunned father and into the hall. "Oh, Dad? Could you get someone to put another one in for me? Thanks."

*~*

Angela stared down at the fifteen page print out lying on her desk. On the papers were the names of everyone who'd entered the Hercule contest. She took out a bright pink highlighter, flipped though the pages and found Gohan's name. Angela grinned evilly, then went over his name with the pink marker.

She recapped the highlighter and tossed it across her room. She flopped onto her bed, the smile still on her face.

*~*

Gohan woke up earlier than usual the next morning. He quickly showered, dressed, then went outside. He took in a deep breath, enjoying the fresh morning air. Gohan walked around the back of the Son home and went over to his mother's garden. Her roses, sparkling with the morning dew, caught Gohan's eye.

"Sorry, Mom," he muttered. Careful of the thorns, Gohan snapped a brought red rose from the bush.

He went back inside and went into the kitchen. He dug around for a knife and began to shave away the green thorns.

That was how Chichi found her eldest son- leaning over a rose with a knife in his hand, a look of concentration on his face.

"What in the world are you doing, Gohan?"

He jumped, the knife falling onto the table. "Oh . . . MOM!"

She eyed him. Then her eyes fell onto the rose. "SON GOHAN, IS THAT ONE OF **MY **ROSES?!?! WHAT DID I TELL YOU BOYS ABOUT PLAYING IN MY-"

"I'm sorry! But I wanted to surprise Videl with it!" he said quickly.

As usual, hearts instantly formed in Chichi's eyes. She put her hands over her heart and sighed romantically. "Well, why didn't you SAY so?! You can have all of the roses you want! You're so sweet!"

A sweat drop rolled down Gohan's head. "Well . . . I'm just trying to be a good friend, that's all. I can't imagine that she's too happy today."

Chichi sighed and sat next to her son. "Oh, yeah. That drawing's today, right? Poor girl . . . I could beat that man up for being so selfish and thoughtless!"

"So could I," muttered Gohan. He stood up and swept the thorns into his hand.

Chichi watched as her son threw away the thorns. She shook her head. _He really cares for her. I wish that he'd realize just **how much** he cares._

"Say, Mom, you wouldn't happen to have an extra vase lying around, would you?" asked Gohan.

She smiled at her son. "Sure. Why don't you go and get some more flowers while I get it?"

Gohan grinned at her. "Thanks. You're the best."

__

Anything for you, Gohan. Anything.

*~*

Goten awoke to the screaming of his mother. She was yelling about flowers or something . . . He sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes with his tiny fists.

He blinked several times, then jumped up in his bed. He'd almost forgotten! He had to get Gohan to give Videl his gift!

Goten had overheard his mother and big brother talking about some drawing and how Videl was feeling sad about it. So he'd drawn her a special picture.

He ran over to his desk and grabbed his drawing. "GOHAN! GOHAN! DON'T LEAVE!!!!" He barreled into the kitchen, only to find his mother placing a crystal vase on the table. "Aww, Mom, don't tell me Gohan already left?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. He went out back for a moment, but he should be back in a few minutes."

As if on cue, Gohan walked through the back door clutching a few more roses and some pretty white flowers in his hand.

Gohan began to de-thorn the roses and smiled at his brother. "Morning, squirt. What's up?"

Goten sat across from his brother and presented him with the picture. "I drew this for Videl. Can you give it to her?"

The older Son brother looked up from his work and chuckled when he saw the drawing.

"There's Mommy, Dad," said Goten, pointing to his people on the paper, "me in the middle, Videl and you. My family."

"I'll be sure to give it to her," said Gohan with a tiny smile on his face. "I know she'll like it."

Chichi slid the vase in front of her son. "Here, use this one."

Gohan stared at the pretty crystal vase in awe. "I can't take this one! It's your favorite!"

"Yes, but I'm not using it."

"But-"

"Just TAKE the darn thing, Gohan! You know better than to argue with your mother!"

Goten giggled. "Watch out, Gohan! Mom'll pull out the frying pan!"

Chichi rolled her eyes. "Please take it, Gohan. I want to give Videl something, too. You'll tell her that the vase is mine, right?"

"Technically, the flowers are yours too . . ." muttered Gohan. "But, okay. If you want me to."

Once the flowers were in the vase and Goten's drawing was in his book bag, Gohan pushed the button on his watched and switched into Saiyaman.

Goten, still amazed that his brother was a superhero, cheered, "GO SAIYAMAN!!"

Gohan ruffled his brother's hair and went outside. "I'll see you guys later this afternoon!" He flew off towards Satan City.

*~*

The minute she stepped into Orange Star High School, a bunch of guys began to surround Videl, saying how much they hoped that they were going to win the drawing. Needless to say, Videl was getting ticked. She ignored them and continued on her way to her locker, hoping that they would leave her alone. Eventually, most of them realized that she was in a foul mood and drifted off.
    
    Videl stopped at her locker and spun the lock. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Angela grinning at her from across the hall.

"Freak," she muttered and opened her locker. She removed several books and shoved them into her bag. She slammed the door shut and whirled around, nearly bumping into a hard body.

Videl was just about to fuss the person out for sneaking up on her when she realized that it was Gohan.

He gave her his Goofy Son Grin™ and pulled the crystal vase full of flowers from behind his back. "These are for you."
    
    She raised an eyebrow at him. More flowers? She hesitantly took them from him. "Thanks . . . They're beautiful . . ."
    "I'm glad you like them. I thought that you could uses something to brighten up your day. The vase is from my mom- it's her favorite, in fact. I'm surprised that she let me give it to you."

"Really? I'll have to call her up and thank her."

Gohan reached into his book bag and remover Goten's drawing. "This is from my brother."

Videl couldn't help but smile at the picture. "So cute! I'll hang it up in my locker." She did just that, and put the flowers in her locker, too, to keep them safe.

They headed off to class together, unaware that Angela was following them. Just before the two of them stepped into the classroom, she called out Videl's name.

Both Gohan and Videl stopped and turned to see who was calling Videl's name.

"Angela," sneered Videl in disgust. "What do _you_ want?"

"I just want to talk to you," she said sweetly. She then gave Gohan a significant look. "A girl talk, you know?"

Gohan got the clue and went into the classroom, leaving Videl in the hall with her worst enemy.

Videl glared at the pampered girl. "You're not fooling me with your sweet act. Tell me what you want, and then get the hell away from me."
    
    "Tsk, tsk, Videl," she murmured. "I . . . have some information that might interest you."

"Believe me, nothing you have to say interests me."

"Really?" she cooed, looking down at her blood red fingernails. "Is that so?" She drew a packet of papers stapled on the top left corner out of her purse. "You _might_ be interested to know who entered your father's contest behind your back."

Angela's sinister voice sent shivers up and down Videl's spine. _She's up to something._ "Why would I care who entered that stupid contest?"

Angela flipped through the papers, folding them back. "Oh, trust me, you'll want to know. Ah, here it is." She handed Videl the papers.

Videl glanced down at it, her eyes falling on a name highlighted by a bright pink marker. _Son, Gohan _it read.

"Where the hell did you get this shit!" she exclaimed, shoving the papers back at Angela.

The other girl blinked innocently. "Why, I was with my father when he made a print out of all of the people who entered the contest- your father hired mine to file all of the names away for organization. And, out of curiosity, I looked through them. When I saw Gohan's name, I was just as shocked as you are now!"

"Don't lie to me. You faked this, didn't you?" hissed Videl.

"Why would I do that?"

Videl growled in frustration. "You know why! You're jealous of the friendship that Gohan and I have!"

Angela narrowed her gaze. "You don't believe me? Fine. Why don't you stop by my father's office and check out the entry forms that were filled out as people entered. I'm sure we'll find one there with his name on it." With that, she walked away.

Videl shook her head, then entered the classroom just as the bell rang. She sat next to Gohan again.

Throughout the class, she found herself unable to focus on the teacher. Her thoughts were on Angela's revelation. She shot a glance at Gohan. He was innocently taking notes as usual.

__

Gohan wouldn't enter the contest behind my back! He said that he wouldn't.

****

People DO lie, Videl. Your father sure does it a lot.

Videl sighed inwardly. Now she was reduced to arguing with herself.

__

But Gohan is so nice . . . he gave me flowers today, he took me to the dance and made sure I had a good time . . .

****

How long have you known this guy? Not very long. You don't know much about his past- it's like he's hiding a lot of secrets.

Everyone has a few secrets . . .

****

And you've got to admit, he's a little weird. He lives in the woods, for goodness sakes! And how EXACTLY does he get to school in the morning if he doesn't have a copter?

Well . . .

****

Thought so. Face it, Videl. He could have entered the contest! He could have gone down to the office, gotten an entry form and filled it out just like so many other students did! The guy's a fraud, a liar, a cheat, a-

"SHUT UP!" she exclaimed out loud, jumping out of her seat.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"Er . . . Is . . . something wrong, Videl," asked the teacher. "Do you . . . need to see the nurse?"

She flushed wildly, then sank down into her seat. "No, sensei. It's just . . . the stress . . . from . . . fighting crime! Yeah, that's it!"

"Alright, then." The teacher continued his lesson.

__

Gohan would NEVER do anything like that! He's the nicest guy I know, and he'd never go back on his word. Angela's just a hateful bitch who's obsessed with a boy who doesn't want her.

Videl forced the thoughts from her head and tried to concentrate on the teacher's lecture.

*~*

"Boy, am I HUNGRY!" exclaimed Gohan as he sat on the bleachers, pulling out his lunch. Five turkey sandwiches, ten huge cookies, four apples and a huge bottle of water. _Mom loves me! She's the best._

Videl still wasn't used to the crazy appetites of the Son family. She remembered seeing Goten eating a ton of food when she was there. "That's . . . a nice lunch you've got there, Gohan."

"A nice, BIG lunch," said Erasa in awe as Gohan wolfed down most of his lunch in one second.

Gohan grinned sheepishly. "Um . . . growing boys need their food!" he said quickly. "So, Videl, what did Angela want with you?"

Sharpner raised an eyebrow. _Did she do it? If she did, why is Videl talking to Gohan right now?_

Videl thought about telling her friends about what had happened, but then changed her mind. Since Angela had just faked the whole damn thing, what was the point of bringing it up? "Nothing. She was just being her usual annoying self, that's all."

Erasa rolled her eyes. "That girl is going to get what's coming to her one day!"

Sharpner was disappointed. What happened? Why wasn't Videl furious at Gohan for lying to her? He glanced down at his watch, then smiled. Well, there was ONE thing that he was looking forward to. After lunch, everyone in the school was going to walk over to Orange Star Park where the winner of the contest was going to be randomly picked and announced.

Videl noticed the stupid grin on Sharpner's face. "What are YOU so happy about?"

"The drawing, of course! We'll be leaving in about ten minutes," said Sharpner.

She glared at him. "I suppose you want to win, hmm?"

"Yeah . . . Why?"

Videl growled and chucked a cupcake at his head. "Some friend you are!"

Gohan snatched the cupcake out of the air just before it hit Sharpner's startled face. He took a bite out of it and smiled. "Mmmm, this is good!"

Erasa stared at him. "You're fast!" she exclaimed.

He flushed and gave her a Goofy Son Grin™. "I don't like to waste food!"

*~*

Erasa slung her arm over her friend's sagging shoulders and gave her a sympathetic smile as they turned down Main Street on their way to Satan City Park. The streets were fairly empty- it seemed as if EVERYONE had gone to see the big drawing.

"Don't look so down, Videl," said Erasa, attempting to cheer Videl up. It didn't look like it was working, though. A frown was still etched on Videl's face. "Look at it this way. Maybe a really hot guy will win the contest! Imagine, a sexy somebody living just down the hall from you . . ."

Videl shot her friend a look.

"What?! If you ask me, you should be worried more about your love life or you'll end up an old maid by the time you're thirty. Who knows- maybe a guy will take your mind off of your Dad."
    
    "I don't think a guy will solve my problems. Unless, of course, he can shove my father off of his high horse by beating my him," she grumbled.

Erasa sighed in defeat. "Well, I don't know if THAT'S going to happen. It looks like you're just gonna have to . . . ignore this one the best you can. He can win this ONE TIME, right?"

Sharpner came up to them and draped his arm over Erasa's shoulder, knowing that Videl would've killed him at that moment if he'd touched her. "It's good to be out of school again, isn't it?"

Gohan joined them, noticing the angry look on Videl's face. _Poor Videl. One day . . . one day I'm gonna teach that guy a lesson._

*~*

The Satan City Park was filled with adults and children of all ages, all awaiting the announcement of the winner. In the center of the park was a stage. There was a clear plastic wheel-like object with a bunch of paper in it from where, Gohan guessed, they would be drawing the name of the winner. Venders were scattered throughout the park. The smell of food and the lively music presented by the police force's band created a lively and festive atmosphere.

The moment they arrived, Videl was pulled aside and told to the stage where her father would be joining her shortly while Erasa and Gohan tried to get as close to the stage as possible.

Sharpner went off to find Angela. He found her standing underneath a tree with her groupies. They were all sipping smoothies out of bright cups.

"What happened to our plan?" he demanded, glaring at her. "Videl is SUPPOSED to be furious with Gohan right now."

"For your information," Angela snapped back, "Videl thought that I was just making up the whole thing! I showed her the print out, but she just didn't care!"

"Damn! Now what are we going to do?" muttered Sharpner.
    
    Angela tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I've got it covered. I told her to stop by my Dad's off ice and see the real entry forms. She'll have to believe me then."

"Is _that_ your great backup plan?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, stupid. That's my backup plan for _your_ lame one. If this doesn't work, Sharpner . . ."

He tuned her out because, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Hercule stepping onto the stage with Videl. The crowd roared in approval. "Looks like the drawing's going to start. Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I've got a contest to win." Sharpner abandoned the girls and shoved his way through the people as he made his way up to Erasa's side.

"Please quiet down, people! Quiet down so we can start!" cried the mayor as he pulled on his collar. "Uh, it's hot out here, so let's get this over with!"

Everyone quieted down almost immediately.

"That's better. Um, welcome to our beautiful park on this wonderful day! I know you all are anxious to see who's going to win Hercule's drawing, so let's get started . . . unless Hercule has something to say?"

Of course Hercule didn't pass up the chance to look macho in front of all of his fans. "I'd just like ta say . . . who ever wins this contest betta be ready to rumble with the best, cuz they're in for a workout at my school!!! No sissies need apply!!!"

The guys ate it up and began to flex and cheer. Gohan rolled his eyes.

"And good luck to you all!"

The crowd screamed again. The mayor quieted everyone down once again and then went over to the wheel. He grabbed the side of it and spun it (A/N: Like Wheel of Fortune . . .) When it stopped, he reached his hand inside and drew out a slip of paper. He slowly unfolded it, drawing a groan from the crowd.

"And the winner is . . . SON GOHAN!!!! Come up here, Gohan, wherever you are!" cried the mayor. The crowd went wild. People who knew Gohan began to shove him up to the stage.

Gohan jet them shove him- he was shocked. _What is going on? I didn't enter the contest! Oh, gosh . . . what's Videl going to think? _His gaze fell onto her face.

Different emotions washed over her- surprise, shock, confusion, but the last, and the only one that Gohan caught, was anger.

"No, Videl, you don't understand!" he shouted as he stumbled up the steps and onto the stage. She didn't hear him though- the noise was way too loud.

Videl's heart nearly stopped. _He DID lie! Why . . . I don't understand!_

****

He's just like the rest of them- untrustworthy! Guys are dogs!

Videl wasn't about to stick around any longer. She stalked across the stage and shoved past Gohan, running down the steps. No one seemed to pay any attention to her as she fled from the park.

Videl had never been so mad in her LIFE! Rage was flowing through her body as she ran through the streets and all the way back to Orange Star High. She was planning on ditching the rest of school.

__

To think that I TRUSTED that guy! That I let him take me out. That I . . . OH GOD . . . I let him KISS me!! I'm so stupid . . . when Angela presented me with the evidence, I denied it because I . . . I thought he was my friend!

Videl found an unlocked entrance to the school. She went inside, her breath coming in hard pants.

"That . . . bastard!" she shouted into the empty halls. "I NEVER want to see him AGAIN!!" Videl slammed her fist into her locker out of frustration. She spun the dial quickly and put in her combination. She threw the locker door open.

Videl's shoulder's slumped and her anger slowly drifted away when she caught sight of the beautiful flowers that Gohan had thought to bring her sitting in her locker.

Videl collected her things and shoved them into her book bag, removing Goten's picture from her locker. She then carefully picked up the vase and clutched it to her chest as she headed out of the school.

*~*

"This is AWFUL," moaned Gohan as he let his head fall into his hands. "What am I going to do?"

Erasa bit her lower lip. "I'd like an explanation. How did you win the contest if you didn't enter?"

Gohan and Erasa were sitting on the edge of the stage. People were beginning to drift away once everything had ended. Their fellow classmates had returned to the school- Gohan and Erasa were given permission to stay behind.

"I don't know!!!" he exclaimed, pulling on his hair. "Oh, God! Did you see her face?! She was so angry!!!"

"You gave her your WORD, Gohan! Of course she's mad!"

Gohan gave Erasa a look. "Come on, you have to believe me! I did not enter that contest. I know how much it meant to Videl and I wouldn't do that!"

Erasa placed a hand on his shoulder. "Alright. I believe you."
    
    "She probably hates me now," Gohan groaned. "I mean, I almost hate myself right now."

Erasa sighed. "Let's just get that information you need and head back to school, okay? We'll talk to Videl when we get there."

*~*
    
    Vegeta frowned as he stared at the red light above the door to the gravity room. Whenever it was on, it meant that someone was in there. "Who the hell is taking up my training time?" he demanded, although no one was there to hear him. He angrily stalked back into the living room area where his woman was watching a soap. He placed his body right in front of the television.

"HEY!" she cried, leaning to the side to try to see around him.

"Who is in the gravity room?" he growled.

"Videl! Now move!!" Bulma was a little surprised- Videl had been in the room for about two hours now and Vegeta was JUST noticing.
    
    "WHY is she in there?! Isn't that little girl supposed to be in school?"
    Bulma leapt up off of the couch and shoved him out of the way. "Now we can talk. Well, she came here looking really upset and asked to use the room. Since I told her that she could use it anytime she wanted, I said-"

****

"YOU WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" roared Vegeta. Trunks then wandered into the room, curious at what made his father so angry.
    
    "Calm down! You use the damn thing too much anyway!" snapped Bulma. "You should do more around the house!"

"I refuse to do the work of an _onna_!! Now you get Kakkarot's brat's mate out of that room NOW or I'll-"

Bulma stuck her chin up in the air. "You'll what?"

Trunks grinned. "VIDEL'S HERE?!"

The adults ignored him.

"Or you'll be sleeping alone for a month, woman," said Vegeta in a low voice.
    
    Bulma frowned. "I'M supposed to say that!"

He just shrugged. "Hey, you're the one who insists on having it EVERY night . . ."
    
    Bulma flushed, then shot a look at Trunks. "FINE!! Anything to shut you up!!" She stalked off towards the training room with Trunks on her heels. She opened the door, automatically shutting off the gravity in the room, making it safe for Bulma to enter.

Videl, who had been doing some push ups, got off of the ground and gave Bulma a strained smile. "Hey."

"Hi. Uh, Vegeta's being an . . . a butt-scratch, and he wants to use the room," she said politely, remembering that Trunks was there.

Videl nodded. "That's fine." She picked up her towel and began to wipe her forehead with it. She walked past Trunks, ruffled his hair and headed to the front of the house.

Trunks went into the training room and began to practice some of his moves as he waited for his Dad to join him.

Bulma took Videl into the kitchen and got Videl a drink of water. "You looked really upset when you came here. What's up?"

Videl stared down at her feet. "It's Gohan."
    
    "What about Gohan?"

She sighed. "He . . . he PROMISED me that he wouldn't enter my father's contest. But . . ."

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you're father's thing. Well, Gohan's told me all about it. He also told me he wasn't going to enter because you said you didn't want any of your friends to."

"Then he lied to us both," she muttered bitterly. "He obviously lied because he won the stupid thing."
    
    Bulma was shocked. "What?"

"You must be mistaken, girl," grunted Vegeta as he walked into the kitchen. "He wouldn't lie."

"Well he did!"

"I suggest you check your facts," advised the Saiyan Prince. "That boy is painfully loyal, trustworthy and an overall sap, just like his father. He also happens to be a clueless and too friendly for my tastes. He wouldn't do anything as dirty as that."

Bulma was even more surprised at that. Wait- was Vegeta, the mighty Saiyan Prince, sticking up for Kakkarot's brat? "Um . . . yeah, Videl. I've known Gohan all of his life and his father since he was a little kid. Both of them are the most honest and just people I know . . . or knew, in Goku's case."

Videl shook her head. "Until I hear a good explanation from Gohan, then I can't believe you. I'm sorry." She set her glass onto the table. "Thanks for letting me use the room."

Bulma watched as Videl left. "What a mess Gohan's gotten himself into this time!"

Vegeta snorted. "The question is- can he get himself out?" [1]

*~*

Videl slipped her feet into her fuzzy red blue slippers as she wrapped her body in a matching robe. Her hair was wet from her shower and was sticking to her forehead a bit. She didn't feel like blow drying it, so she just went into her room and sat on her bed with a big sigh.

She'd sat Goten's drawing next to the picture of her and Gohan at the dance. As Videl looked at the dance photo, she sighed again. Those were the good old days. The days when you THOUGHT you knew someone until they stabbed you in the back.

Videl punched one of her pillows. "Jerk," she muttered, lying the photo face down on her side table.

Just then, Hercule threw her door open and entered her room. "I see your skinny little boyfriend won my drawing. In a way, I'm glad the poor twig won. That way, I can build him up to the proper size."

"He's NOT my boyfriend," she growled.

"Right. Anyway, he'll be moving in the day after tomorrow."

Videl shot up in her bed. "WHAT?!" She wouldn't be ready to see him again by then.

"I thought he needed help right away," her father said.

"BUT-"

"No buts. Everything's worked out."

Videl was even angrier now. "So why do you even bother talking to me if you make the decisions without me?!"

Hercule did not answer. He left her room, slamming the door behind him.

Videl fell back onto her bed. "Someone shoot me," she groaned. She jumped when the phone began to ring.
    
    "Hello?"
    "Hey, Videl. How are you doing?"

"Oh, Erasa. Just fine," she said.

"It doesn't sound like it."

"I'm just . . . tired."

"Oh. Say, Videl . . . about Gohan."

Videl froze. "What about Gohan?"

"He's really upset. He was looking for you during school, but you skipped out on us."

"So?"

"Aww, come on, Videl! He told you he didn't enter. I believe him!"

"That doesn't explain how he won the damn contest, now does it Erasa?"

"But-"

"Look, Erasa, I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore! He lied to me and he went behind my back! Those are NOT characteristics of good friends!"

"You're not being fair, Videl. Give him a chance to explain."

"He'll probably just end up making up some story or something. I don't care if you and Gohan are still friends, but he and I are through. And you can have your seat back in class."

"But Videl-"

"I gotta go, Erasa. I've got homework to do." She hung up the phone.

Erasa sighed. "You heard her, Gohan."

Gohan, who'd begged Erasa to do three-way with him, frowned. "Okay. Thanks, Erasa. I'll talk to her tomorrow at school."

A few minutes later Gohan hung up the phone. Gohan didn't know what to do about Videl- he was at a total blank.

But the only thing he knew was that he couldn't let her stay mad at him forever. She meant a lot to him and he valued their friendship, no matter how odd it was.

This time, it was Gohan who had a mission.

Author's Notes: You know you luv me! Don't get too angry and come after me with pitchforks and stuff! Please review. And if there are any errors in here, sorry cuz I didn't feel like reading it over like I usually do.

****

ADVERTISING: If anyone out there just happens to be a Gundam Wing fan, then I've got a goodie for you! This fic is called Bridlewood Manor and it's by Mitsugi. Be careful, though! If you're a Relena Peacecraft fan, then this isn't for you. It's a 1x2 (Heero and Duo) story set in the early 1900's. It's got romance, history, drama, action, humor . . . Go check it out!

[1] You all are probably like 'yeah, right'. Okay, Vegeta's OOC, but I luuuuuuuuuuv him- big forehead and all! And besides, when he thought that Gohan had been killed by Buu (Hey, is he REALLY dead? I can't stand the wait.) he got . . . sorta upset. It's my fic anyway.

__

Next Chapter: Videl is STILL mad at Gohan. Will they ever kiss and make up?


	9. I Forgive Me?

Author's Note: *Sighs* More Gohan torture up ahead. Poor guy. Anyway, this chapter is short and the upcoming ones will probably be too. 

It seems that the plot is running away with me. . . So I've decided to do this story in parts. You're reading part one now. However, part two will have very little to do with the drawing, but the events that occur in that part will result from the drawing's effects . . . or something like that. Basically, all the stuff that happens in part two will result from something that's gonna happen in the first part . . . okay, maybe I should just stop now . . . You'll see later.

Okay, so I've forgotten my disclaimer a couple of times- or was it once? Here's one now: when I get some money that's owed to me, I'm gonna go straight to my nearest anime store and buy something DBZ. Until then, I own nothing! (Just any characters I make up and the plot.)

Part I

*~* Chapter Nine *~*

Forgive Me?

The next morning, Gohan found himself pacing around his room, trying to think of what he was going to say to Videl when he saw her that morning. He threw his hands up in frustration. His mind was a total blank.

"Come on, Gohan!" he snapped. "If you can kill an evil monster bent on destroying the earth, then you can make up with a girl!"

Gohan sighed and sat heavily on his bed. But, he had to admit, Videl was a different kind of girl. She was special. He didn't know how, she just was.

__

Maybe Mom can help. Nah . . . I haven't even told her what's happened yet . . . Aw, shoot! I KNEW I was forgetting something!

"MOM!!!! MOM!!!!!!! Where are y-" he shouted as he stalked into the living room. "Oh, there you are."
    
    Chichi looked up at him from her seat on the couch. She was knitting socks for Goten- he could see his little brother's name knitted at the top. "What is it Gohan? Why are you screaming like that?"

"I've got a problem."

She sighed and rested the socks in her lap. "What is it this time, Gohan? Honestly, you get yourself in so much trouble . . ."

"I've gotta move into the Hercule mansion tomorrow," he said quickly and waited for the bomb to drop.

Chichi leapt out of her seat, Goten's socks falling to the floor. "YOU'RE WHAT?!"

"There's . . . been a slight misunderstanding and-"

"SLIGHT?! Oh, it sounds BIG to me!"
    
    "Right. I KNOW. Now, if you'd let me explain, then-"

Chichi glared at Gohan, shutting him up instantly. "What's this about you moving where?"

Gohan took a deep breath. "Okay, here's what happened. You . . . remember that drawing I told you about?"

"Yes . . ."

"I, um, er, I well . . . he, he . . . it's funny, actually . . ."

"Spit it out!"

"Oh, right. I won."

Chichi blinked several times. "But . . . you said that you weren't going to enter."
    
    "Exactly! And I didn't! But SOMEHOW, I won! And now I've got to move into the Hercule mansion tomorrow and Videl's not speaking to me and she never wants to see me again, she basically hates my guts and I-"

"WOAH! She HATES you?"

Gohan nodded and Chichi thought that he looked a little pathetic. "You've got to talk to her! You're not scared, are you?"

He shook his head. "I just don't know what to say."

"I'm sure you'll be able to think of something. Now, as for this moving in deal, that's a whole other story. You, Son Gohan, are NOT living in that house with THAT MAN! I forbid it!"

"Aw, come on Mom! It's the perfect chance for me to redeem myself in Videl's eyes. I could be extra nice to her, plead my case till my face is blue . . . I could-"
    
    Chichi placed her hands on her hips. "Yes, you COULD do all of that, but you and I both know that she'll NEVER EVER believe you or forgive without some sort of proof."

"Yeah, you're right. The problem is, I don't have any proof."

"This isn't looking good for you, is it Gohan?"

His shoulders slumped down. "Are you . . . telling me that it's hopeless?"

"NO, it just might take a while, that's all. Give it time, Gohan and it'll end up alright."

"I-I just don't want to loose her friendship. I like her."

His mother raised an eyebrow at his words. "You LIKE her? As in-"

"A friendly way." He stood up and took a deep breath. "I'll try my best to get her to see that I'm not a bad guy. I just HAVE to."

*~*

Angela smiled at Sharpner she sipped from a cup of coffee at a local coffee shop before school started. This was their way of celebrating their recent victory.

"I must admit, Sharpner. I was wrong about you and your plan. Did you see the angry look on her face when Gohan's name was called?" Angela giggled. "It was wonderful!"

"I know," he agreed. Yesterday had been the best day of his life. And today was only going to get better. HE glanced down at his watch. "We should get to school. I don't want to miss any of the action."

Angela raised one of her manicured eyebrows. "What action?"

Sharpner just chuckled. "You'll see."

*~*

Gohan was vaguely aware of the glares he was receiving as he walked down the hallway that morning. He'd expected everyone to be all over him since he'd just won the contest and all, but the opposite was happening. As he passed, other students began to whisper behind their hands and turn away from him.

Gohan didn't really care if they were all talking about him. He was on a mission, one that couldn't wait. He headed up to Videl's locker, sighing in relief when he saw her there, removing some books. He went up to her.

"Um, hey Videl," he said cautiously.

When she turned to look at him, he almost recoiled from the amount of hatred that flowed from her look. "I don't want to talk to you. Leave me alone." She turned to leave.
    
    Gohan desperately reached out and gently took her arm. He turned her so that she was facing him.

"Give me a chance to explain!" he begged.

"Explain WHAT?! The fact that you lied to me, that you went behind my back?!" she practically shrieked.

A crowd of students gathered in the hallway. Videl and Gohan, who'd just been the hottest couple a few days ago, were having an argument in the middle of the hall. News of the disagreement traveled fast and soon the hall was filled with silent students eager to see the dispute.

"I'm trying to tell you that I didn't-" began Gohan.

"You didn't what?" She yanked her arm out of his grasp. "I don't want to hear any lies, Gohan!"
    
    Gohan felt himself getting a little mad. "You're not even giving me a chance! I didn't enter that contest!"

"Oh, good one! Couldn't you have come up with anything better than THAT?!"

"I'm telling you the truth!" He took a deep breath and lowered his voice. The kids in the hall tried to lean in closer to hear what he was saying. "Look, I gave you my word. And I have no reason at all to lie to you like that."

"Maybe you had this planned! Maybe you wanted to fool me or something!"

Gohan couldn't believe his ears. "Videl, I'm telling you the truth!"

"Like hell you are," she snapped. "I don't EVER want to see you again, Son Gohan. I don't want you to talk to me ever again! In fact, when you go home, burn my number!" Videl turned to walk away again.

He reached out and took her elbow. "Now wait a minute-"

She whirled around and raised her hand, slapping him across the cheek.
    
    The sound on the slap rang throughout the hallway, stunning everyone, including Videl. She slowly backed away from him, a horrified look oh her face.

Gohan placed his hand on his cheek. Her slap hadn't hurt, but the fact that she'd hit him took him by surprise. She hated him THAT MUCH? She . . . really never wanted to see him again?

Videl ran her shaking hand through her hair. "Just . . . leave me alone, Gohan. Please." She pushed through the crowd and ran down the hall.

As the students wandered off, Gohan could hear whispers of, "I can't believe he betrayed her like that" and "Gohan's just a jerk" and other comments like that. He then realized that the glares he'd received earlier were because of what was going on between him and Videl. But how had the kids at school found out? Who'd told them?

Angela and Sharpner watched as Gohan stood in the hallway, staring down at the floor like a scorned puppy. Sharpner was laughing with glee. Okay, he hadn't managed to somehow create that explosion between Videl and Gohan, but he HAD gone around and told a bunch of people- particularly those who were gossips- what had gone on with the two. Now the practically the whole school was against Gohan.

Angela, however, wasn't that happy. "What did you do?! Gohan isn't supposed to be a social outcast, stupid! My boyfriend _cannot_ be a social outcast!"

Sharpner just shrugged his shoulders. "Who cares. Besides, it looks like you've got some work to do." He gestured to Gohan who was still standing in the hall looking miserable.

Angela tossed her wave of hair over her shoulder and walked over to Gohan. "Oh, Gohan, I just saw that awful fight you and Videl had. I'm SO sorry."

"Thanks," he muttered.

"How about I walk you to class," she offered, attaching herself to his arm, "and you can tell me ALL about it?" As an added effect, she batted her lashes.

"Whatever . . ."

She giggled. "Okay. Let's go!" She tossed Sharpner a wink over her shoulder.

*~*

Minutes later, Videl slid into her seat. She'd run all the way to class after slapping Gohan in the face. She buried her face in her hands.

__

I can't believe I did that . . . and in front of all of those kids . . .

****

He deserved it! The nerve of that guy, telling you absurd lies about-

Videl looked up when she heard several girls snicker. Gohan was standing in the doorway, gently prying Angela off of him. She watched as he gave her a smile and entered the classroom. Videl held her breath as their eyes meet across the room.

__

He looks so sad . . .

****

Sad my foot! Don't let him get to you.

Shut up.

Gohan gave her a weak smile and went up to his seat. They were the only people in the row so far. Videl raised her chin.
    
    "I'm sorry, Gohan. That was uncalled for," she said, not looking at him. She didn't need to tell him what 'that' was.

"It's okay." Gohan tilted his head to the side and stared at her stiff form.

"Oh."

"So . . . we're talking now?" he asked.

"No."

"Oh . . . right."

*~*

Throughout class, Gohan sat in his chair, hunched over a sheet of blank white paper. He continuously glanced up at Videl, who was, for once, concentrating on the teacher. She was nibbling on the end of her pen.

Gohan's hands were moving quickly. He stared down at the picture forming on the piece of paper. It was Videl sitting at the desk, looking very cute as she bit the end of her pen. Gohan glanced back up at her quickly. His drawing was actually pretty good.

Gohan sighed wistfully. What was he going to do? This problem with Videl was interrupting his schoolwork, and his mother wouldn't like that. Not to mention the fact that he rarely ever drew something unless he was distressed. For instance, he'd done that sketch of the Eternal Dragon and the seven Dragon Balls the day after his father had died and couldn't come back.

Videl's cell went off. "Videl here."
    
    This drew Gohan's attention. He shoved his drawing into his book bag and began to listen to her conversation.

"The Crimson Tide gang has taken over City Hall? I'll be there in ten, Commander!" Videl excused herself from class and left.

Gohan frowned. She was in no condition to fight. She had a lot on her mind. He stood up. "Um, excuse me, could I . . . got to the bathroom?"

The teacher looked up at Gohan. She'd heard about his confrontation with Videl in the hall and felt sorry for him. "Sure. Go ahead."

"Thanks."

*~*

When Videl arrived at City Hall, the Chief of Police was busy negotiating with a member of the Crimson Tide gang over the phone.

"Now just tell us what you want, and we'll get it for you? What is it, money?" the Chief asked desperately.

"Nah! Our boss here wants a good fight with Hercule, that's all!"

The Chief looked confused. "But, he'll never win! Hercule-"

"Is a lying, weak idiot! And we're gonna prove it to everyone when our boss knocks the shit out of him!!!!"

The Chief looked at Videl for an answer. "Tell him that the daughter of Hercule is here. I'll fight him."

"Er . . . okay. Look, boys, we've got the daughter of Hercule down here. She'll fight you."
    
    The gang member laughed so loud that the Chief had to move the phone away from his ear. "Yeah, right! The boss don't wanna fight no little . . . what? You wanna fight her?" The guy sighed. "Fine. Our boss'll fight her. If he wins, the building goes up in flames, got it?"

Videl nodded once. "Tell your boss to get his sorry ass out here so we can start."

About a minute later, a huge guy stepped out of the building with a cocky grin on his face. Videl, however, wasn't intimidated by the man's size. He would probably be too slow to do anything to her.

Videl approached the man. She lowered herself into a fighting stance. "Let's do this."

The leader of the Crimson Tide grinned and began to attack. Videl was shocked- he was faster than she'd thought.

Meanwhile, Saiyaman was flying above the scene, determining whether or not Videl needed his help.

"What is she doing?" he muttered, watching the fight. "Her form is sloppy, her movements are too slow . . . she can do better than that!"

He growled when the big guy grabbed Videl and slammed her into the ground. He began to kick her, laughing the whole time.

Saiyaman swooped down and landed behind the gang leader. He wrapped on hand around his neck and pulled him away from Videl.

The man looked him over. "Who the hell are you?!"

"Your worst nightmare," Gohan growled. He ended the fight with one swift punch. He then turned to the building and called, "Okay, you all can come out! Don't make me come in there after you!!"

The gang members, who'd all heard about a flying superhero, quickly came out with their hands on the air and threw their weapons aside.

While the cops busied themselves with arresting the men, Gohan turned to Videl and helped her off of the ground. "Are you alright, miss?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

She nodded.

Suddenly Gohan had a brilliant idea. "Is something on your mind? Your head wasn't in the game," he observed.

"I'm just having problems . . . with a friend."

"Ah. Care to . . . tell me about it?" _Say yes, say yes . . ._

Videl looked him over suspiciously. "Okay . . ." She hesitantly told Saiyaman about her problems. "What do you think I should do."

"It seems to me that you haven't given this young man a chance to tell you his side of the story."

Videl gave him a look. "You're only saying that because you're a guy. And besides, what other side of the story could there be?"

"All I'm saying is that you should talk to him. It sounds like you really liked him as a friend."
    
    "I did . . . but . . ."

Gohan crossed his arms over his chest. "Just think about it. I'm sure you'll make the right decision." Gohan then took to the air.

*~*

By the end of the day, Gohan was a little depressed. His conversation with Videl while he was Saiyaman hadn't helped a bit. Videl had avoided him all day- she even sat away from the group during lunch. And worst of all, Angela was hanging onto him like a magnet.

As Gohan flew home, he began to rack his head for ideas, but so far, nothing came up. _There's always one place I can go for advice. _He made a sharp turn and flew off towards Capsule Corp.

When he got there, he immediately tracked down Bulma, who was in the kitchen, attempting to make something edible for dinner.

"No need to tell me any details about this one," said Bulma. "Videl already came by and she told me everything."

"She . . . came by?"

Bulma nodded. "To use the gravity room. I tried to tell her to give you a chance to explain- even Vegeta did, but she wouldn't listen."

Gohan's shoulder's slumped over. "So, you're out of ideas?"

"On this one, yeah."

Gohan collapsed into a chair and Bulma returned her attentions to the stove. She eyed the directions on the box of instant mashed potatoes, then looked down at her pot of boiling water. She added the flakes and jumped back when they began to bubble and pop, splattering everywhere. [1]

"Shit!" cried Bulma. She quickly took the pot off of the oven and tossed it into the sink. "Why do I even try . . .?" Bulma returned her thoughts to the dejected looking boy sitting in her kitchen. She almost slapped herself when the most obvious thought came over her.

"Say, Gohan, did you ever stop to think that maybe someone else entered you into the contest?"

He looked up at her. "No . . ."

"You told me before that there was this guy at school . . . what was his name? Oh yeah, Sharpner. Well, you told me that he didn't like you. Right?"

"Right . . . So you're saying that maybe HE entered me? I don't think so."

"Why not?!"

"Um . . . I don't think Sharpner's that smart."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "If you say so."

Gohan stood up. "Thanks for your help anyway. And next time you want to cook the potatoes, try taking the pot off of the burner _before_ you add the flakes."

*~*

Gohan didn't know how he got there, but an hour later he found himself sitting in a tree just outside of Videl's balcony. He felt like a Peeping Tom, but he knew he wasn't there to look at her.

He sat in the tree until it got dark. Gohan decided to make his move.

Gohan leapt from the tree and onto her balcony. He knocked softly on the door, careful not to be too loud. He was a little startled when the door flew open and Videl began to bring a baseball bat down onto his head.

Gohan, using his quick reflexes, stepped to the side, dodging her attack just in time.

"WHAT IN THE-" began Videl.

He quickly placed his hand over her mouth and pulled her close to him, stepping forward so that they were both inside her room. Gohan then closed the balcony doors and released Videl.

She looked furious. "What in the world are you doing? Are you some sort of creep?!"

"Shhh!!! What if your father heard us?!" he hissed.

Videl tossed the bat onto the floor and stomped over to her bedroom door, locking it. "Will you PLEASE tell me why you were on my balcony?!"

"We need to talk!"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I-"

"You're going to hear me out! I'm not a liar or a back stabber and, to tell you the truth, I don't like people thinking that I am!"

Videl sighed. _A lot of people have told me to give him a chance . ._

.

"I suggest you check your facts. That boy is painfully loyal, trustworthy and an overall sap, just like his father. He also happens to be a clueless and too friendly for my tastes. He wouldn't do anything as dirty as that."- Vegeta

I've known Gohan all of his life and his father since he was a little kid. Both of them are the most honest and just people I know . . . or knew, in Goku's case."- Bulma

"You're not being fair, Videl. Give him a chance to explain."- Erasa

And even Saiyaman- "All I'm saying is that you should talk to him. 

It sounds like you really liked him as a friend."

Videl sighed again. "Fine. You've got-"

"VIDEL!!! WHAT'S ALL THAT NOISE IN THERE?!!" shouted Hercule from the hallway. He tried to open the door, only to find it locked. "AND WHY IS YOUR DOOR LOCKED?!!!!"

Videl roughly shoved Gohan into her closet and closed the door. She then pulled a robe over her clothes. "HOLD ON!"

She took a deep breath, then yanked open the door. "What do you want?"

Hercule looked his daughter over. He peeked around her and into her room. "What's all that shouting about in here?"

"The tv."

"Oh. Uh . . . Then why was your door locked?"
    
    She gestured at her robe. "I was getting dressed and I didn't want you to barge in here on me! What does it look like?"

"Like there's some boy in here!"

"Well, there isn't! Now go and bug someone else!" She slammed the door in his face and locked it again.

A few minutes later, Gohan crawled out of the closet. "Um, is it safe to come out now?"

She nodded. "You've got five minutes."
    
    "Um, right. Okay. Let's see . . . well, I didn't enter the contest, Videl. After all, I made you a promise. But, Bulma has a theory. . . sort of. She thinks that Sharpner entered me in the contest to turn you against me! And it worked, didn't it?"

Videl thought that over. "Sharpner? I don't think he's smart enough to think up something like that." She bit her bottom lip as something hit her.

__

"Enjoy his company while it lasts, Videl. He won't be yours for long."

"Angela! Oh, that bitch!" she exclaimed. "Why didn't I see it before?!"

Gohan looked confused. "What? What!"

"While we were on the field trip, Angela said that I should enjoy your company while it lasted. And today, she showed me a print out of all of the people who entered my Dad's contest! SHE could have thought this all up so that we wouldn't be friends anymore!"

"Well, that wasn't a nice thing to do!"

Videl gave Gohan a look. "Yeah, it wasn't. When I get to school tomorrow, I'm going to kick her ass into outer space."

"And this time, I don't think I'll stop you."

Videl laughed, then quieted down. She stared down at her feet. "I-I should apologize, Gohan. I said some really mean things to you earlier. I eve hit you. I'm really sorry."

Gohan smiled at her. "It's okay. You were mad."
    
    "No, it's not okay. I-" She coughed. "Um, do you think I could have a hug? It would make me feel a lot better."

Gohan rubbed the back of his head. "Er, sure." He went up to her and wrapped his arms around her. He then took a step back, his face burning red.

Videl's cheeks were a little pink as she smiled back up at him. "It's really late. Do you need a ride home?"

Gohan shook his head. "I'll manage." He smiled at Videl for a while, then went over to the balcony and jumped down to the ground.

*~*

Gohan used Instant Transmission to get home that night. Needless to say, Chichi was furious.

"IT IS TEN O'CLOCK AT NIGHT AND YOU'RE JUST WALKING INTO THE DOOR?!!! YOU HAVEN'T CALLED TO TELL ME YOU'D BE OUT ALL NIGHT!!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, SON GOHAN?!!!!!!!!"

Gohan winced. He was barely inside the house and his Mom was chewing him out already. "Gee, Mom, do you think I can come in first?"

Chichi was standing in the doorway, blocking the way inside the house. "I don't know! Maybe your punishment should be sleeping outside for the night!"
    
    A sweatdrop rolled down the back of his head. Okay, so what? He'd slept outside plenty of times before. "Aw, Mom-"

"WITHOUT dinner," she added, a smug look on her face.

"NOOOOO!!!!!" He hadn't had anything to eat since lunchtime at school. Now THIS would be pure torture.

Chichi slammed to door in her son's face and locked the door. Gohan sighed. Now what?

"PSSSST!! Gohan! Over here!"

Gohan turned to see his little brother's head sticking out of a window, his arm waving in the air. "You can get in this way!"

"Thanks, tyke!" Gohan went over to the window and was just about to climb in when Chichi appeared out of nowhere and brought the frying pan down on his head.

"OUCH!" He fell backwards onto the ground.

"AND NO SNEAKING IN!" she exclaimed. "As for you, Goten, you get back in bed! If I find out that you've helped Gohan in any way . . ." Chichi closed the window.
    
    Gohan dusted the dirt off of his pants and grinned. It had been fun playing with his mother, but now he was REALLY hungry. He put two fingers on his forehead and zapped inside the kitchen.

His mother was there, preparing a cup of cocoa for herself. He snuck up behind her and tapped her shoulder. "Hiya, Mom!"

She shrieked and nearly dropped her mug. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?!!"

"Instant Transmission," he said.

"Damn Saiyans . . . a mother can't even punish her sons properly . . ."

Gohan chuckled. "I have a very good reason for being out so late. I was making up with Videl."

Chichi looked a little suspicious. "Making up how?"

Gohan began to tell his mother about his day at school and how she'd hit him in front of everyone. Then he spoke of Bulma's suggestion- Chichi laughed when he told her about Bulma and the instant mashed potatoes. "And so then I went over to Videl's place and snuck onto her balcony. When I tapped on her door, Videl tried to attack me with a baseball bat-"

"Of course she did!" his mother interrupted. "She probably thought you were some Peeping Tom! Honestly, Gohan . . ."

He flushed, then continued on with his story. "Anyway, I managed to get inside and told her about Bulma's idea about how Sharpner entered me into the contest. But Videl had another idea."

"Let me guess, she thought that that psycho Saran Wrap girl entered you, not this Sharpner."

"Right! I guess that Videl is right. I mean, Angela said some pretty strange stuff to her."

Chichi raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

When Gohan told her, Chichi slammed her mug onto the table. "Why, it's so obvious! Of course that little witch entered you!"

"Videl's planning to beat her up tomorrow at school. I don't think I'll stop her this time."

Chichi looked shocked. "Why, Gohan! I never thought . . ."
    
    He laughed. "I was just kidding. Um, say Mom- do you think I could have something to eat now?"

"Well, alright. I guess . . . just don't make this a habit."

"I won't!" Gohan rubbed the back of his head. "That frying pan hurt!"

Author's Note: There seems to be a misunderstanding! Everyone thinks that Angela entered poor Gohan into the contest. Will Sharpner EVER confess? (Even I don't know . . .)

[1] Haha! This has happened to me before! I've learned my lesson- when that stuff pops and gets on you, it burns! So, always read the directions on that stuff. It's all very important.

****

ADVERTISING: If you haven't checked out 'The 25th Tenkaichi Budokai' by illjwamh, you don't know what you're missing! A lot of DBZ fans want to know 'what would've happened if Yamu and that other guy didn't attack Gohan and the tournament went on'. Well, this fic gives one possibility. There's some G/V in there, so check it out. 

__

Next chapter: Gohan moves into the Hercule mansion! Goten and Trunks come along and they all spend the day at Videl's house. What will happen?


	10. I Moving In

Author's Note: I'm BACK!! Anyway, you'll finally get a tiny glimpse of my bad guys here. If anyone suspects who they might be and what they're after or has any ideas, e-mail me but PULEAZE don't say anything in the review! Let's not spoil the story! Thanks for the e-mails and reviews everyone.

Someone asked me how long this story is going to be. I've typed up an outline and so far I have 39 chapters and I'm not even done with it yet! I must be crazy.

I don't won DBZ. Just this awesome plot.

****

WARNING: There's a little violence in here, but not too much. That's coming later . . . Hahahahaha! 

Part I

*~* Chapter Ten *~*

Moving In

Goten climbed onto his Gohan's bed and watched as his big brother tried to comb his hair. Gohan growled as his locks refused to lay flat. He tossed the comb out into the hallway. "Why do I even bother?"

Goten giggled. "You're SOOOO lucky!"

"What do you mean, squirt?" asked Gohan as he shoved some books into his bag.

"You get to live in a big ole mansion with maids and stuff for a month! Imagine all the food you'll get to eat!"

Gohan's bag hit the floor. "SHOOT! I forgot all about that!"

Goten gave his brother a weird look. "How could you forget when so much food is involved? Are you sick?"

"No. I . . . had a lot on my mind."

"Do you think Trunks and I could come with you when you move in?! We wanna see Videl's house! I heard she's got, like, twenty training rooms in her house!" exclaimed the little Saiyan as he began to jump up and down.

"Um, sure, Goten. If you two behave, then I suppose Videl won't mind."

"YIPPE!!! ALRIGHT! I'M GONNA TELL TRUNKS!!!!" Goten skipped out of the room.

Gohan stared down at the floor and sighed in exhaustion. "Everything seems to happen to me, doesn't it?"

*~*

Videl watched as Gohan approached her locker with a small frown on his face. "Something wrong, Gohan?"

"You know I'm supposed to move into your house this afternoon, right?" he asked hesitantly.

Videl froze, then slammed her locker shut. "Damn it! I forgot. Well, I suppose it won't be so bad, you know? At least a friend is going to move in."

Gohan relaxed a bit. "Right, a friend."

"I'm glad we've worked all of that stuff out," said Videl as they walked towards their class. "I can't tell you how sorry I am, Gohan."

"And I told you to forget about it. Don't mention it again, okay?"

"If you insist . . ."

"Say . . . do you think it would be alright if my little brother and Trunks come with me? They want to see your house."

Videl shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Sure."

They continued the rest of their walk to their classroom in silence. Videl was slightly aware of the strange looks that she was receiving as she walked down the hallway next to Gohan. What really bugged her was that the kids in the hall were staring openly and whispering behind their hands, as if she or Gohan wouldn't notice.

Videl muttered a curse under her breath. "What in the world is going on?"

Gohan seemed oblivious to the actions around him. "What? Something wrong?"

Videl rolled her eyes. "Never mind." As a with brown girl quickly crossed in front of them, Videl reached out to grab her arm, stopping the girl in her tracks.

The brown haired girl looked a little scared. She shrank back a bit. "Um, hi?"

"Do you mind telling me WHY everyone is staring at me?!" she exclaimed.

A sweat drop rolled down the back of Gohan's head. "Uh, Videl, why don't you let her go? Yeah, that sounds like a good idea . . ."

"Not till I get some answers!" Videl snapped back, but released her hold on the girl anyway. 

The girl took a deep breath. "Well, just yesterday you were . . . ready to kill Gohan. I mean . . . everyone saw you two in the hall. We're just wondering why you two are friends again so soon."

Videl blinked once. "Oh."

Gohan let out a shaky laugh. He grabbed Videl's arm and pulled her down the hall, shouting, "We made up, obviously! Thanks for caring, though!" When they reached their class, Gohan hissed, "I thought you were going to try to beat that girl up!"

Videl crossed her arms over her chest. "I should have. I've seen her hang around with that skank Angela. Which reminds me . . . when I see her during lunch . . ." Her voice trailed off, an evil look crossing her face.

"Er . . . you KNOW I was just joking about what I said last night . . . about me letting you beat her up and all . . . You shouldn't fight in school and-"

Videl looked stunned. "After what she did?! You're STILL saying that?" When he nodded, she just shook her head. "I don't get you, Son Gohan."

"Hey! It's tough being the good guy all the time!" he said in his defense.

Videl laughed and took her seat. "Well, the dark side is waiting for you," she muttered.

Sharpner and Erasa entered the classroom just as the bell sounded, barely beating the teacher. Their sensei gave them a stern look as they rushed to take their seats.

"Alright, class, let's get straight to work. Open your science books to page two twenty."

*~*

Gohan stared up at the clock hanging just above the chalkboard. "Mouto-sensei is late," he muttered.

Erasa sat on the edge of the desk. "Good for us!" she cried.

Gohan looked a little worried. He stood up. "Maybe I should go look for him . . ."

Videl yanked on the right sleeve of his shirt, catching him off guard and causing him to fall back into his chair. "Look, Gohan, when the teacher doesn't show up for class, you don't go LOOKING for him. In fact, you hope that he doesn't show."

"You do?"

Erasa just giggled at Gohan's innocent comment. "Anyway, I'm glad you two made up. Did you all figured how Gohan got entered into the contest?"

Sharpner paled and his palms began to sweat. If Gohan, Videl or Erasa had seen the expression on his face, they would've known right away that he'd done it. _Holy . . . I've been caught! I'm going to die!! Videl's gonna string me up and-_

"I sure did," Videl growled. "That bitch Angela must've done it. We all know that she had the means and the motive."

Sharpner let out a huge sigh, his hands flying up to his racing heart. _Oh, Gods, I thought I was done for!!_

"Angela, hmm? Well, I hope you each her a lesson she'll never forget, Videl!" Erasa crossed her legs and grinned. "And maybe I'll help you. What do you have in mind?"

"I don't know. Torture sounds good. Or maybe making her go without her make up and stuff for a month-" Videl was cut off by her phone. She took it from around her waist. "Videl here."

As soon as she said those words, the ground beneath them seemed to shake. Erasa toppled off of the desk and fell to the floor with a shriek. "Earthquake!!!" someone shouted. The students around them began to scream and began to fall to the floor, coving their heads and necks.

Only Videl and Gohan were left standing. Videl was trying to hear the Chief of Police over all of the screaming going on in the room. "Sorry, you're going to have to speak louder than that! I can't hear you!!"

Gohan was tense. He'd felt a sharp rise in ki somewhere in the city, a ki he didn't recognize. That could mean trouble. _Could this vibration have a connection to the rise in ki I felt?_

"I'll be right there!" Videl took off racing from the classroom.

__

Great! Where is she going?! Gohan was torn between following her and searching for the mysterious ki. He sighed and went up to the roof, changing into Saiyaman.

Gohan quickly located Videl's copter in the air and flew just behind it, deciding to let her lead him to the trouble. He was surprised to see Videl flying to the outskirts of the city. _What's out here?_

Gohan spotted the police cars blocking a long stretch of road. The cops leapt out of their cars and pointed their guns at a cocky muscle bound guy standing less than twenty feet away from them. Gohan's eyes narrowed as he felt for his ki level. This guy was pretty strong, but nothing he couldn't handle.

Videl landed her copter and hopped out, joining the police. They were relieved to see her.

"Be careful, Videl! This man is using tricks, like explosives and stuff!" one of them shouted.

__

Tricks? Oh, ki blasts! Gohan came up behind Videl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, miss, you might want to let me handle this."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, yeah? Well, thanks for the offer, but I've got it all under control."

"Uh . . . alright. If I can't beat him, then you can take over, okay?" Without her confirmation, Gohan stepped past the cop cars and up to the man.

The man laughed at him. "Well, I know I haven't been here long, but I've NEVER seen anything like you!"

"I wouldn't be laughing, buddy," he growled. "You've got no idea who you're messing with."

The stranger got serious, looking Gohan over. His bushy black eyebrow raised a bit. "Hmm . . . I can feel some ki, but very little. You actually think you can take me on?"

"I've been 'observing' you a bit too, and it's sad, really. I don't even need to go Super to beat you," Gohan snickered. He was slowly switching to his game mode.

The man's eyes widened in fear. "S-s-super?! But-"

"Enough talk." Gohan leapt into attack.

Videl watched in awe as the two men began to fight. They were moving so fast that she could barely keep up with them. The cops, though, were totally lost. They'd put their guns down and were looking around in confusion.

Gohan could tell by the man's sloppy movements that he was getting scared. He increased the speed of his attack. Eventually the man gave up trying to hit him back and just blocked.

Gohan landed a punch in the man's stomach, sending him flying into the dirt. He went up to him and picked the man up by the front of his shirt. "Now, tell me who you are and what you want," said Gohan, his voice hard.

The man sent a nervous look down at his pocket. "N-nothin! I was just having some fun!"

Gohan had noticed his look and his gaze too fell to the man's pocket. There was something in there.

As Gohan reached for it, the man sent a ki blast directly at his chest. Gohan just knocked it away and kneed him hard in the stomach.

The stranger was really desperate now. "The Lord is . . . going to kill me . . . if . . . I don't get this back to him . . . I've got . . . to get . . . away!" He eyed the people on the ground. The man licked at a trail of blood falling from the corner of his mouth and raised his hand, pointing one finger at a pretty girl on the ground.

Gohan growled under his breath and intercepted the beam, letting it hit him in the shoulder before it hit anyone on the ground. He winced. _That's gonna leave a mark . . ._

But when he looked up again, the man was gone. Gohan tried to feel for his ki, but found nothing. "Damn!" he exclaimed. What had that guy wanted? And what had been in his pocket that was so important?

Gohan went up to the police officer, rubbing his shoulder a bit. "Excuse me sir, but could you tell me what's going on here?"

"Sure, Saiyaman! We got a call that a man was attacking people at Satan City Mall, so we went over there as fast as we could. When the guy spotted us, then flew off. We followed him here and . . . I think you know the rest."

Gohan frowned. Something didn't add up. "Why was that guy attacking people? What did he want?"

The cop shrugged his shoulders. "No one knows."

__

And this just keeps getting weirder and weirder . . . "So what caused the city to shake like that?"

Videl stepped up to him. "It seems as if one of that guy's explosives hit a nearby mountain or something and it fell to the ground." She eyed him, particularly his shoulder.

"And no one was hurt?" asked Gohan, trying to ignore her heated gaze.

"Those people he attacked were . . . stabbed. Sort of," amended Videl. "It's hard to explain."

"Sort of?"

"Yeah. There was no bleeding or anything . . . the people he attacked just felt weak."

"Weak, hmm?" _Sounds like someone's been stealing energy._

*~*

School was let out early due to the sudden 'earthquake', so Gohan took his time and flew home. His thoughts were on the fight with that strange guy. Sure, the guy wasn't strong enough to defeat Gohan, but he's learned that where there were the weak, the strong were not too far away.

He decided not to tell his mother about the strange man unless it somehow made its way onto the six o'clock news. Judging by the way that the students at school had been told that the shaking they'd felt earlier was just an earthquake, he seriously doubted that. Obviously the authorities were trying to keep the truth from the public.

__

Maybe I should talk to Piccolo or one of the other fighters. They might think that it's worth knowing.

When Gohan entered the house an hour later, Goten looked up in him in surprise. "Gohan! What are you doing here?!"

Chichi came from the kitchen with a wet plate in her hand. She suspiciously eyed her son. "Are you skipping class, Gohan?"

"No, Mom." He gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Er, there was an earthquake in the city earlier and they decided to let us out of school early."

"An earthquake?!! Oh, my poor baby! Were you hurt?!!" Chichi dropped the plate and began to poke at her son. She noticed Gohan wince when she reached his shoulder. "AH HA!! What happened to your shoulder?!"

__

Busted . . . "Nothing! It's nothing!"

She gave her son a look. "I'm not stupid!" She pushed him into a chair and quickly yanked his shirt off. [A/N: Drool . . .]

Goten came over and frowned when he saw the mean looking bruise forming on his big brother's shoulder. "Oh, wow. What happened?"

Chichi looked furious. "Yes, please tell us what happened here?"

Gohan took his shirt from his mother and drew it over his head, ignoring the sharp stabs of pain that shot through his arm. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

Goten wasn't going to accept that. He stamped his foot out of frustration. "I know you're lying, Gohan!" he cried, tears appearing in his eyes. "Tell me what happened!" The little Saiyan's voice was laced with worry and concern.

Gohan stared down at his little brother and sighed. _Oh, Goten . . . _He reluctantly filled them on his encounter with the strange man.

"You, Son Gohan," began his mother, "are going to go up to Dende's Lookout and tell Piccolo what happened. And while you're there, you can get one of those senzu beans from Korin."

"Aw, Mom-"

"Don't 'Aw, Mom me! And when you get back from there, you'll tell . . . the man that Bulma married what happened!"

Gohan chuckled. "You mean Vegeta?"

"You know who I'm talking about!! And don't come home until you do!" shouted Chichi.

Goten began to look excited. Going all those places with his big brother would be fun, and it had been so long since he'd last seen Mr. Piccolo . . . "OOOOOHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Can I come too?!!! PLEASE?!!! I'll be good, I SWEAR!!!"

"And take Goten with you," said his mother as if it were her idea. "I need a vacation . . ."

*~*

Gohan tucked his brother under his good arm and used his Instant Transmission to get to Dende's Lookout. Gohan gave his young Namekian friend a pat on the back. It had been a while since they'd last seen each other.

Goten ran off to find Piccolo and Mr.Popo while Dende told Gohan to remove his shirt so that he could examine his friend's injured shoulder. "Care to tell me how this happened?" he asked.

"When Piccolo gets here. I don't want to have to tell the story again," Gohan muttered.

"Okay then. But do you want me to heal this? I could . . ."

Gohan shook his head. "Nah, a bean would be just fine. But thanks for offering."

"You've got something against my healing you?"

"No. I just don't think you should be wasting your energy on me, that's all."

Dende chuckled. "Wasting? Never."

Just then, Goten reappeared with Piccolo and Mr. Popo. The little Saiyan was chatting non-stop and Piccolo was just looking down at him in amusement. "Oh, oh!! And you should see his shoulder! Mom had a COW when she saw it and-"

Gohan raised a brow. "I see that Goten's been talking your ear off."

Piccolo grinned secretively. "So, what's this about a girlfriend, Gohan? A girl named Videl who just happens to be the daughter of Hercule?"

Mr. Popo gasped and looked very shocked. Gohan was dating the DAUGHTER of HERCULE? It was all a bit too scandalous for him. "Oh, my," he muttered.

Dende looked at Gohan with interest and a twinkle in his eye. "A girlfriend? Hercule's daughter? Why haven't we met her yet?"

Gohan flushed and gave his little brother an evil look. _This is the last time I take him anywhere with me . . . _"She's NOT my girlfriend! Sheesh! Besides, that's not what I came all the way up here to talk about!"

Piccolo just crossed his arms over his chest, noticing a faint blush in the boy's cheeks. _The poor boy must be in denial . . . _"Okay, Gohan. Then WHY, exactly, did you come all the way up here?"

"I guess you haven't noticed my shoulder."

He sure hadn't! The injured shoulder was beginning to swell and turn purple. "Where the _hell _did you get that from?!" he bellowed, forgetting that Goten was standing next to him.

Goten just giggled at Piccolo's bad word.

Gohan recited his story once more. Once he was done, Mr. Popo went off to get a bean for him.

Piccolo was thinking over the information he's just learned. "So these guys seem to be taking energy, you said? I wonder why . . ."

"So do I," said Gohan. He gave the genie a smile when he returned with a green bean in his hand. Gohan popped it into his mouth and chewed slowly. "Thanks." Gohan put his shirt back on.

"Be careful Gohan," Piccolo said in a stern voice. "I have a feeling that the peaceful times are going to come to an end very soon."

*~*

Bulma let out a screech and she dropped her latest capsule invention as Gohan and Goten appeared out of nowhere, materializing right in front of her.

"GOHAN!!!!" she cried. "Don't DO that! You scared the . . . crap out of me!"

He looked a little sheepish. "Gosh, I'm sorry. I just need to talk to Vegeta right away."

She looked slightly ticked. "Then why'd you bother me? You know where he is- training room. I swear, that man doesn't know when to give it a rest . . ."

Goten and Gohan crept out of the room, leaving Bulma alone, talking to herself. They went to the gravity room and opened the door, canceling the gravity activated inside.

"Who dares disturb my training?!!" shouted Vegeta.

Trunks grinned when he caught sight of Goten. "Hey, Goten! Long time no see, ne?"

Vegeta gave Gohan a harsh glare. "What do YOU want?" he asked as the boys went off into another part of the room and began to spar.

"Just thought you'd like to know that we've probably got another enemy on our hands," informed Gohan. As he began to give Vegeta the run down on his encounter with the strange man, he couldn't help but notice how fast Goten and Trunks were moving. "Hey, they're pretty good for kids, aren't they?"

Vegeta's glare grew more intense. "Get on with the story!"

"Oh . . . right. Let's see . . . I was just about to reach for his pocket when-" Gohan jumped back, avoiding a ki blast aimed straight at him. "WOAH!!!"

"HA!" cried Goten triumphantly, sticking his tongue out at Trunks who stood there looking mildly disappointed. "TOLD YOU he'd dodge it!! So there!!"

"That's cuz it was too slow," said Trunks, rolling his eyes. "Let's see him get past this one!" He raised his hand and aimed a big ki blast straight at Gohan. Like a bullet, it sped towards him.

Gohan phased out with a sigh, then back in, reappearing behind the boys. He picked them up by the back of their shirts and flung them out of the room. "We're TRYING to have a conversation here! Come back when we're done!"

"AWWW, GOHAN!!!" both boys cried.

He just ignored them and finished his story. Vegeta managed to look semi-interested, but just shook his head. "If you were able to beat him so easily, then I hardly think he's worth my time."

Gohan chuckled. "Right. You're always looking for a challenge . . ."

The Saiyan Prince gave him an evil look. "Your girlfriend was over here a few days ago. She looked like she wanted to tear you apart."

"She's not my girlfriend," he said automatically. "And we . . . well, we worked everything out."

"Hn. How very anti-climatic."

"What did you want me to say?!"

Vegeta just stared blankly at him. "I was hoping that she'd at least try to kick your ass."

__

Guess I better not tell him that she slapped me. "Uh, well, she didn't!"

They stood there in silence for a while until Vegeta turned away from him. "Unless you're going to spar with me, then get out."

Gohan backed out of the room and went in search of his little brother. He found him sitting with Trunks in the living room. Bulma was yelling at them for running in the house.

"Does this mean that Trunks can't come with me and Gohan this afternoon?" whined Goten, looking very sad.

"Go with you where?" Bulma asked.

"To Videl's mansion! Gohan's moving in this afternoon!"

Gohan's world seemed to crash around him. He'd forgotten AGAIN! "Gosh . . . it totally slipped my mind."

Trunks began to look excited. "Oh, can I go Mom?! I heard she's got two Olympic-sized pools and like twenty training rooms!! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE **_PLEASE_**?!!!

Bulma looked thoughtful. "I suppose you can go . . ." She pulled her son to the side and whispered, "As long as you tell me EVERYTHING."

Trunks grinned. "It's a deal!!"

*~*

__

Okay . . . I think that's the last of it! Gohan dropped his second suitcase next to the one already lying on the living room floor.

Behind him, he's mother's eyes began to tear. She forced them away and pulled her eldest son into a backbreaking hug. "I can't believe my baby boy is moving out!!"

"Uh . . . MOM! I won't be gone for long!" he managed to gasp out. "And I'll visit on the weekends!"

Chichi finally released him and straightened his shirt. She then eyed him warily. "You say that now! But once you get _involved _with Videl, you'll forget all about your dear mother . . ."

"No I won't . . . wait a minute!! What do you mean _involved_?"

His mother looked innocent. "Oh, nothing. You better get going. After all, you've got to pick up the devil's spawn- I mean, Trunks. GOTEN, GET IN HERE!"

Goten emerged from the kitchen with a cookie in his mouth, a jar in his hand and a bag slung over his shoulder. "Here I am!"

Chichi recognized the glass jar. "What are you doing with that? You aren't taking a jar full of cookies with you!"

"Aw, come one Mom! They're for Videl!"

"How sweet," she cooed.

Goten grinned. "I mean, if Gohan won't go out with her, then I figure its open season, right?"

Gohan's eyes widened. "GOTEN! What in the world did you just say?!"

He just laughed. "Come on, Gohan! Videl's expecting us!"

Gohan was still thinking about his brother's words when they arrived at Capsule Corp. Could his little brother have a crush on Videl? _Gosh . . . that's just . . . WEIRD!! _He watched as his Goten went off to get Trunks, clutching the cookie jar to his chest tightly.

Bulma came up to him and noticed the worried look on his face. "Something wrong, Gohan?"

"Sort of. I . . . I think Goten had a crush on Videl," he muttered.

She began to laugh. "A crush?"

"Hey, it's not funny!"

Bulma tried to calm herself down. "What's wrong- are you worried that you'll have some competition now? Little Goten is really cute . . ."

"ECH!! Gosh, Bulma! No! I just don't want Goten to get his feelings hurt!"

"RIGHT."

Just then Goten came into the living room, saying, "NO, you can't have a cookie!! These are for Videl!"

"So! She won't know if ONE is missing!" Trunks whined. After all, Chichi made awesome cookies. Sometimes he wished that his Mom could cook so he'd have an endless supply of snacks . . .

"SO!" snapped Goten.

"Give me a cookie!!" Trunks leapt at Goten, reaching for the jar.

"I said NO!" Goten held it out of Trunks' reach, shaking his head. "Don't be such a pig!"

"Gimme, gimme, gimme!"

"NO!!"

Gohan rolled his eyes. "Okay, boys, break it up! No fighting."

Trunks huffed and turned away from Goten. He couldn't believe it- his BEST FRIEND had REFUSED to give him a delicious cookie, just baked, fresh from the oven . . . His BEST FRIEND had refused to give him FOOD! "Fine, Son Goten! I guess I'll just have to tell everyone your secret!"

The little boy looked frightened. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

Trunks snickered, then shouted, "GOTEN LIKES VIDEL!! He wants to KISS her, he wants to TOUCH her, he wants to HUMPH!! Ow Mom, that hurt!!"

Bulma had smacked her son hard on the back of the head. She glared down at him. "Shut up this instant or I'll make you stay at home!"

"Aw . . . shoot!"

"Now apologize to Goten," said Bulma, glancing at the other demi-Saiyan, who looked as if he was about to cry.

"I'm really sorry, Goten. I shouldn't have told everyone your secret like that . . ."

Goten sniffled. "S'okay. Here, you can have a cookie anyway."

"Gee, thanks!"

Gohan, who'd stayed silent throughout the exchange, was surprised. So Goten really had a crush on Videl. _Poor kid . . ._

"Besides," Goten was muttering, "Momma told me that Videl was gonna be GOHAN'S girlfriend and I'd just have ta find one when I get older."

At this, everyone turned to stare at Gohan. He shrank away a bit. "How many times do I have to say it- she's NOT my girlfriend!!"

*~*

Videl found herself pacing in the foyer, awaiting Gohan's arrival. She was a bit nervous about having a guy from school move into her house . . . and into the room across the hall from hers.

She'd practically died of shock when Iria informed her that Hercule wanted the winner of his drawing to stay in the room across from his daughter, KNOWING that the winner was a guy, a TEENAGED guy, a guy that went to school with her, and a guy that she just HAPPENED to hang around with . . . Once she'd managed to digest the information, she concluded that her father had lost his mind or suffered from some sort of brain damage that resorted from looking in the mirror at one's self for several hours at a time.

She almost jumped when someone knocked on the door. On the other side, she heard Goten shout something about how Trunks had eaten all of his cookies . . .

Videl opened the door and almost fell over when the two little boys rushed inside, leaving Gohan on the porch with two suitcases under his arm.

"Let me get one of those for you," she said, reaching for a suitcase.

"Uh, that's okay. I got them." Gohan moved forward to walk through the door, then realized with both of the bags in his hands, he wouldn't fit. So he twisted sideways with a chuckle and entered the house.

"WOW! THIS IS SO COOL!!" exclaimed Goten, looking around the lavish entry way. "This is even cooler than Trunks' house!!"

"Is not," Trunks muttered. "It's alright . . . "

Videl smiled. "How about we go up to Gohan's room?"

"YIPPE!!" shouted the boys.

Videl led the way up a flight of stairs and down a long hallway. She stopped outside of Gohan's new room and pushed the door open. Goten barreled into the room, followed by Gohan.

"Lookie! You've got your own TV!" exclaimed Goten. He ran to the other side of the huge room. "OH, and your own BATHROOM!! This is SOOOO cool!!!"

Trunks, however, stayed in the hall. He was a bit curious about the room directly across the hall from Gohan's. "Who's room is that?" he asked, pointing to the closed door.

"That's mine," answered Videl uneasily.

Gohan nearly dropped his suitcases in surprise. Videl's father was ACTUALLY going to let him stay across the hall from his daughter?

Trunks raised an eyebrow and chuckled evilly. _Won't Mom love to know that! Haha!_

Goten grabbed his friend by the back of the neck and shoved him into Gohan's new room. "They even have a balcony!" he cried, hauling Trunks out onto it.

Videl watched as Gohan placed his suitcases on the bed. "So . . ."

He smiled at her. "I can't believe your dad is letting me stay across the hall from you," he said.

"Neither can I. Personally, I think he's flipped." She sat on the edge of the bed. "Do you like the room?"

Gohan nodded. "It's nice."

"That's all? NICE?"

"Er . . . yeah . . ."

She rolled her eyes. "Are you going to unpack now or later? If you want to do it now, I can take the little guys on a tour . . ."

But would she be able to handle them? He didn't think so. "Um, I'll do it later.

"Okay, then. So what do you want to do first?"

Goten and Trunks came from the balcony and both shouted, "SWIMMING!!"

Everyone gathered their bathing suits and followed Videl back down the stairs and outside where the outdoor pool was located. It was huge, shaped like a rectangle.

Gohan had to admit- the shining water looked inviting. It sort of reminded him of all those times he'd gone swimming with his Dad in the lakes in the woods. Except, of course, there were no giant fish to catch.

Videl gestured to a line of booths on the other side of the pool. "There are some places to change over there."

They each took one. Videl was the first one out. She'd had her bathing suit on the whole time- she'd somehow guessed that the boys would want to try out her pool.

Videl went over to a lawn chair and sat down, rubbing sunscreen on her arms. _Perfect time to work on that tan you've been meaning to get . . . _She stretched and fell back onto the chair, closing her eyes with a soft sigh.

Videl didn't notice Trunks sneak up to Goten's dressing booth and snatch both his regular clothes and swimming trunks, hiding an evil grin behind his hand.

Realizing that his clothes had been stolen, a butt-naked Goten emerged from the room, looking very angry. "OHHHHH, TRUNKS!!! You give me my clothes back NOW!"

Videl sat up in her chair. "Oh, my," she gasped.

"Nuh, uh, not till you catch me," he said in a singsong voice.

Goten pouted. "I'm not playing! What if Videl sees me all nakie like this?!"

At that, she could not help but laugh. Goten caught sight of her, flushed, and dashed back into the dressing room, shutting the door with a loud slam.

Trunks was rolling on the ground, unable to contain his laughter. "Oh, boy!! I . . . wish I had a camera!! The look on his face . . . was PRICELESS!! Hahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

__

He gets it from his father, no doubt. Videl shook her head and went over to Trunks. She lifted him up, yanked Goten's clothes from his hands and tossed him into the water.

"HEY!!!!!"

Videl tossed Goten's clothes over the booth's door. "You okay, Goten?" she asked softly.

"Y-yeah."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh at you."

Suddenly the door flew open and a beaming Goten stepped out, fully dressed. "S'okay!! I'll get him back later . . . haha!"

Videl watched as Goten jumped into the water and proceeded to try to drown Trunks by shoving his head underneath the water and keeping it there.

"They're going to kill each other," she said under her breath.

"They'll be fine."

Videl whirled around. "GOHAN! You scared me!"

He smiled innocently at her. "Sorry." Gohan's gaze slowly drifted away from Videl's face as he noticed how . . . nice . . . she looked in her bathing suit, even if it was a one piece. He began to turn red. _Those, Son Gohan, are not good thoughts._

Videl lifted one of her eyebrows. "Erasa was right. You've got some muscle there, Gohan." She poked his flat, toned stomach.

He nearly jumped out of his skin. "Oh, ho, ho! I've always been this way!" Seeing that Videl was about to say something else, he grabbed her hand and leapt into the pool, bringing Videl in with him.

She came up for air and glared at Gohan who was just grinning like a fool. "Trying to evade my questions?"

He chuckled. "How _ever_ did you guess?" Gohan sank under the water and swam off.

Videl sighed and narrowed her eyes. _He's still keeping something from you. Like how he got so good looking- I mean buff if he doesn't work out or fight._

Oh, well. With him living at her house for a month, she was sure that she'd be able to find out more about the mysterious Son Gohan.

*~*

They spent several hours in the pool until Goten and Trunks announced that they were getting hungry. So they all changed back into their regular clothes and Videl lead them to a fancy dinning room.

Gohan eyed the huge chandelier hanging over a polished oak dinning table. There were paintings of Hercule twisting his body in different poses covering the wall. "Gee, your Dad doesn't do anything half way, does he?"

Videl shook her head. "I hate eating in here. But dad goes wild if I try to eat anywhere else in the house."

Goten went up to a marble bust of Hercule's head resting on a white column. He frowned. Surely Videl's father didn't keep his head on a column. Didn't he need it to THINK? Was the head even REAL? He reached out and poked it, gasping when it began to teeter from side to side on the column. Goten winced when is fell to the floor with a crash, breaking into tiny pieces.

Trunks' eyes grew as round a saucers. "OHHH, Goten, you're going to get it now!!"

Gohan was about to have kittens. "GOTEN, WHAT-"

"No, it's alright," said Videl over Gohan's shouting. She went over to Goten and rubbed the top of his head, making him giggle. "I hated that thing anyway. It was pretty ugly wasn't it?"

Goten nodded. "I think I'm going to have nightmares for the rest of my life," he said jokingly.

Gohan gapped at his younger brother. Had Goten just made a joke DELIBERATELY? Was the world coming to an end?

"Someone will clean it up," Videl was saying. "Why don't we sit down and I'll tell the maids to bring in the food?"

Goten and Trunks began to fight over who got to sit at the head of the table.

"My Dad's a prince, so I get the chair," declared Trunks, puffing out his chest. "Cuz that makes me a prince to."

"Not on EARTH, dummy. I say I get to sit here because Videl likes me best." Goten grinned at his last statement.

"Last time I checked, this wasn't HER house! It's her Dad's house!"

"The last time I checked, this wasn't _your_ palace!"

Trunks blinked. Goten had never spoken like THAT before. "SO!" exclaimed Trunks lamely.

"So, I get the chair!" Gohan threw himself into the huge chair, fit for a king. "Man, this is comfy!"

Goten stuck out his tongue. "No need to rub it in our faces, Gohan!"

Just then Videl returned with several maids and butlers pushing several carts of food. Everything was placed on shiny silver that glistened from the bright light.

The boys could only stare in amazement. NEVER had they seen so much food in one place, not a Chichi's, and CERTAINLY not at Capsule Corp. Gohan was practically drooling. _Oh, man! A Saiyan could get used to this!_

Videl took an empty seat next to Gohan and smiled at her guest's stunned faces. The maids and butlers proceeded to place plates of food in front of them and began to pour white wine for Videl and Gohan and some lemonade for the little ones.

Gohan tore his attention from the food and glanced down at the glass of wine sitting in front of him. "Uh, gee . . ."

Videl saw his uneasiness. "I could get some lemonade for you, if you'd like that better . . ."

"Oh, this is fine! It's . . . just . . . I've never had any alcohol."

"Well, you're not supposed to gulp the stuff down. I'm sure if you take small sips, you'll be fine. Besides, it makes the food taste a lot better."

Anything that made food taste better was okay in Gohan's book. He began to tare away at his food without a second thought.

Videl was still trying to get used to the way that Gohan and his brother ate. Apparently, whatever made them eat so much had gotten to Trunks. He was eating just as fast, and as much, as Gohan and Goten. She slowly began to eat her food, watching out of the corner of her eye as the boys began their fourth servings.

When she was done, she just sat back and tried to ignore the slurping sounds that came from both Trunks and Goten. Gohan had somehow managed to curb his appetite- he was eating at a saner pace.

The guys finally finished up their dinner and Videl had lost count of how many servings each boy had wolfed down.

Goten and Trunks sat back in their chairs and glanced at each other. They nodded and . . .

*BURP*

Goten nearly fell out of his chair as he laughed. "I won!! Mine was longer!!"

Gohan shook his head. "Boys . . . will be boys, I guess . . ."

*~*

Much to the boy's disappointment, Bulma picked up Goten and Trunks a few hours later, leaving Gohan and Videl alone. They went up to Gohan's room and Gohan began to unpack. Videl fell back onto his bed as he began to put his clothes away.

"Wild kids!" she exclaimed. "Cool, but wild!"

Gohan chuckled from inside the huge walk in closet. "I'm sure they think you're cool too." He quickly finished unpacking, then sat next to Videl on the bed. "So . . . what now?"

Videl stretched and yawned. "It's . . . pretty late. Maybe we should get to bed . . ."

Gohan flushed. The way she said it made it sound as if they were going to bed together . . . "Yeah. Maybe we should."

Videl stood up and walked over to the door. "Uh . . . goodnight, Gohan."

"Night Videl."

Videl quickly crossed the door and entered her own room, closing the door gently behind her. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall. Visions of Gohan in nothing but swimming trunks floated through her head . . . It was all she could think about.

It was going to be a VERY long month.

Author's Note: So Goten and Trunks didn't do too much damage. Everyone wanted me to have them rip the house apart! Once again, if you have any ideas on who this bad guy might be, then e-mail me. I'm interested to see what you think. Heck, e-mail me even if you have no clue!

****

ADVERTISING: There seems to be a tie for this chapter. I couldn't decide which story to advertise, so I decided to do TWO!!!! They're both awesome.

1) 'The Wedding Chronicles' by Nik Nak: Very funny, really cute, and I WANT MORE!! It's all about Gohan and Videl planning their wedding. Go read and review this!!

2) 'The Misadventures of Gohan and Videl' by CCS AnGeL00: Okay, this is REALLY funny. Tons of Vegeta jokes and stuff! My sister was looking at me like I was crazy cuz I was laughing so hard. Check this one out too!!

__

Next Chapter: Gohan starts his first day of 'classes' at Hercule's school. Hercule gives him an 'assessment test' and . . . what??!! He has to fight VIDEL? Who will win?


	11. I Fight Me!

__

Author's Note: **IMPORTANT!!!!!!** If you want to be on my **MAILING LIST**, then please leave your _e-mail address in your review or e-mail me_. I also got AOL IM!!!! My name thingy is Shinigamigal2002 (Duo Maxwell rocks.) ANYWAY, I need a new title for my story. If anyone has any ideas, please e-mail me. However, you might need some extra info from me on the story to come up with something good. 

Of course I don't own DBZ. But I am going to own a Son Gohan poster VERY soon AND I have a Son Gohan wallpaper on my desktop! Yay for me!

In addition, I neglected to read over this because I was bitten by the lazy bug, so pardon any mistakes.

Part I

*~* Chapter Eleven *~*

Fight Me!

When Gohan opened his eyes the next morning, he was a little confused. _Uh, where AM I? _He sat up and kicked the soft sheets from around his legs and yawned. Gohan looked around the lavish room. _Oh, yeah. Videl's place._

He trudged into his bathroom and turned on the shower full blast. Gohan yawned again, stripped and stepped under the stream of hot water.

__

I wonder what I'm going to do today . . . I suppose I can ask Videl when I get down to breakfast.

Once he was done, he dressed quickly and made an attempt to comb his hair as he did every morning. And this morning, just like every other, his hair refused to be tamed.

Gohan left his room, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind him. He stared at Videl's door. He couldn't hear anything coming from the other side. _Is she even up? _Gohan resisted the impulse to knock on her door and walked slowly down the hall.

As he was walking, he realized that he had no idea how to get to the dinning room. Overnight, he'd forgotten the way Videl had shown him. _Oh, this is great. I could be lost in here for days . . ._

After wandering for a while, he found himself in the foyer. Gohan scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Okay . . ." he muttered. "Now where?"

He stood there with is hands in his pockets for a while, until a woman with bright red hair twisted into a tight bun walked by. She stopped when she caught sight of Gohan, her mouth forming a slight 'o'.

"You must be the winner of the drawing," she said, a big smile appearing on her face.

Gohan shifted nervously. The woman was giving him strange looks and the smile she had was beginning to look a little sinister. "Yeah, that's me. I'm Son Gohan."

"Ah.' The woman looked him over again and giggled like a little girl. "I'm Iria, a housemaid here. You . . . wouldn't happen to be the young man who took Videl to the dance, now would you?"

"Uh . . . that's me!"

Iria winked at him. "Aren't you a cutie! You know, if I weren't so old, I'd ask you out."

Gohan flushed, then placed his hand behind his head and grinned. _Oh, boy._ "He, he . . . thanks . . . I think . . ."

"Well what are you doing down here? Are you lost?"

He nodded. "I'm trying to get to the dinning room."
    
    The housemaid smiled at him and tugged on his arm. "I'll take you there! Follow me." She led Gohan thorough the house, talking almost non-stop the whole way there. "You and your little friends yesterday almost ate us out of house and home! The people in the kitchen were practically up all night making that food and you all wolfed it down as if it were your last meal! I've never seen anything like it! Oh, here you are!" She shoved open the wooden doors that seemed familiar to Gohan.

__

I remember now. Silly me . . .
    
    To Gohan's dismay, Hercule was sitting at the head of the table, his face buried in a newspaper and his right hand shoveling food into his mouth with a silver fork with the words 'world champ' engraved in it. He looked up when Gohan entered. "Oh, kid, you're awake! And so late? Why, when I was your age, I was awake at the crack of dawn . . ."

Gohan wanted to point out that it was only eight fifteen in the morning, which, on the weekends was pretty early, but wisely decided against it. He took a seat, leaving an empty chair between him and Hercule.

"I hope you're ready, boy!" Hercule was exclaiming. "You're gonna be fighting against some of my strongest students today!"

"Um, excuse me?"

"I'm gonna have you fight some of my students to see where I should place you in my school. See, there are LEVELS, boy," he said, waving his fork around in the air. "Normally, my students would start at level one, the lowest you can be and WORK their way up to level ten, the highest. But since you're not going to be here that long, I'll need you to fight against some kids in different levels to see where I need to place you."
    
    Gohan nodded. "I see."

Hercule's chest puffed out with pride. "Videl's at level ten. I'm not sure you'll get to fight her, seeing as in how you're all skin and bones."

__

SKIN AND BONES?!!

Gohan didn't say a word as Iria placed a plate full of food in front of him. She winked and said, "I'll go get Videl. That girl, sleeping in when she has company . . ."

He watched reluctantly as Iria left him alone with Hercule. Gohan began to eat his breakfast, trying to ignore the heated looks he was receiving from the older man.

"So, kid. I notice you hang around my daughter a lot."

"Um, yes, sir, I do . . ."
    
    Hercule eyed him suspiciously. "Why don't you have any guy friends? Only sissies hand around girls all the time. Oh . . . don't tell me . . . are you gay?" [1]

Gohan blinked several times. "No . . ."

"Hopefully, one of my more manly students will take you in and you'll make some friends. You know, when I was a boy . . ."

*~*

Iria pounded on Videl's door, then opened it and invited herself inside. Videl was just getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom.

"It's about time you decided to get up," Iria said.

"Hn," Videl grunted. It was too early to get up! It was a Saturday morning and Videl didn't usually get out of bed till around noon.

"That boyfriend of yours is a hunk," the housemaid murmured as she began to make up Videl's bed. "You're one lucky girl. I told him that I'd ask him out if I weren't so old . . ."

Videl choked momentarily on the toothpaste in her mouth. She spat in the sink and glared at the older woman. "YOU WHAT?!!"

"Aw, don't worry about it, Videl. But if I were you, I'd hurry down to breakfast. Your dad's probably talking the poor boy to sleep."
    
    "Yeah, probably telling him his 'when I was a boy' stories." Videl emerged form the bathroom, dressed in a pair of black shorts and a white t-shirt. She began to pull her hair into her regular ponytails when Iria stopped her.

"I KNOW you're not going down there looking like that," the woman chided, shaking her head.
    
    Videl rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip. "I'm proabaly going to be fighting today. There's no need for anything fancy."

"Fine! But if you want to keep your boyfriend, then you should at least look semi-presentable."

"He's NOT my boyfriend! WHY does everyone think that Gohan and I are dating?!!" Videl did her hair in her ponytails and left the room quickly.

When she entered the dinning room, she almost laughed out loud. Gohan had his head resting in the palm of one of his hands as he pretended to listen to the story that Hercule was telling about his 'glory days' as a teen. His eyelids looked as if they weighed a ton.

She cleared her voice, abruptly ending her father's chatter. "There's my girl! I was just telling the boy here that you were at level ten in my school."

Videl walked up to the table and took the empty seat between Gohan and her father. "The boy has a name," she mumbled.

"What? What was that?"

"I said, the boy has a name. It's Gohan, remember?"

"Oh, right, right." He stood up from the table and flexed a bit. "I'm going to go down to the blue room and gather some boys. You'll take him to the blue room at ten so we can start his 'test'."

"Blue room?" asked Gohan once Hercule was gone.

"The room has a regulation sized fighting ring in it, like the Tenkaichi Budokai and the walls are blue."
    
    "Oh." He stood up and stretched. "No offence, but your dad has some boring stories. I thought I was going to fall asleep."

She snickered. "Good thing I came when I did."

He let out a loud yawn. "Oh, boy. I need to move!"

Videl was slightly distracted by Gohan stretching in the middle of her dinning room. For some odd reason, images of Gohan's tightening muscles came to her mind, along with the memory of Gohan in nothing but his swimming trunks. She flushed and pushed herself away from the table. "I don't think I'm hungry anymore," she announced.

Gohan looked concerned. "You're not on a diet, are you? You don't need to be on one. You look just fine."

__

Just fine? That's it?

"No, I'm not on a diet," she said, her voice full of irritation. "I'm . . . just not hungry."

"Sure."
    
    "Let's go." She quickly stalked out of the room, forcing Gohan to practically run to keep up with her.

"Where are we going?"

"YOU are going to get a training gi on so that you can be warmed up by the time my Dad is ready to test you."

"Ah. Okay."

Videl eyed him for a while, then said, "You DO have a gi, don't you?"

"Of course!" he exclaimed, sounding a little put off. After all, if you were a Saiyan male, then you _had_ to have a gi. It was an unwritten rule.

Videl led Gohan to his room, then went into hers. The second she entered, the phone rang. Videl snatched it up.

"Hello?"
    
    "Hey, girl!"

"Hey, Erasa."

"I just called to see how things were going. Gohan moved in yesterday, right?"

"Yeah."

Erasa laughed a bit. "He's such a hottie! Man, you're lucky."

Videl just chuckled. "If you knew where he was staying, then you'd think that I was extremely lucky."

"Where's he staying?"

"Across the hall from me."

There was silence from the other end, then . . . "AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! YOU'RE KIDDING?!!"

"No."

" . . . Oh, I see."
    
    "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Since your rooms are so close, I bet you're hoping that he'll sneak across the hall for a little late night rendezvous . . ."

Videl rolled her eyes. "Right. In your wildest dreams, Erasa."

"No, in YOURS! Haha!"

"VERY funny. Say, how about you come over? Gohan's going to fight some guys from my Dad's school. Maybe you could watch."

"LOVE to! What time?"

"Just be here by ten am."

"Great. I'll see you then. Bye."
    
    "Bye."

Videl hung up the phone and crossed her arms over her chest. _I'm going to have to set Erasa straight! There is nothing, and there never will be anything, going on between Gohan and me!_

As she finished that thought, there was a knock on her door. "Hey, Videl? I'm ready," said Gohan from the other side.

She opened her door and looked Gohan over. His gi looked like the clothes Goten wore all the time. Videl tilted her head to one side, the picture she'd seen of Gohan's Dad coming to mind. "You look just like your father in that, you know."

Gohan grinned. "That's what I was aiming for. My Mom made this for me. Pretty good, ne?"

She just nodded. "I'll show you down to the blue room."
    
    When they got there, there were already some of Hercule's students inside, warming up. Others were standing around the ring, awaiting the start of Gohan's test.

Gohan was amazed. The room was huge! Videl was lucky to have a place like that in her home, available to her whenever she wanted.

A young man and a few of his buddies approached them as they entered the room, eyeing Gohan the whole time. "Hey there, Videl. Looking cute as always," said the man and his buddies smiled, looking smug.

"Sommers," she muttered, "NEVER call me cute."

He laughed. "Sure thing, cutie." Sommers then turned his attention to Gohan. "Who's this?" he asked, gesturing in Gohan's direction.

"Son Gohan, the contest winner. Gohan, this is Ken Sommers."
    
    Ken puffed his chest out a bit. "That's me- Ken Sommers, level ten fighter. So, kid, you ever had any fighting experience?"

__

More than you'll ever know. "Some."

"Well, SOME isn't going to get you anywhere in this school. This place is only for the best fighters. I doubt you'll last very long here."

Videl rolled her eyes and shoved Ken out of the way. "Shut up. Your intimidation technique isn't going to work, Ken. I know for a fact that Gohan here is an excellent fighter. He has to be. After all, his father is THE Son Goku. I'm sure you know who HE is?"

Gohan was about to freak out. _WHAT IS SHE DOING?!!!!_

Everyone in the room froze, hearing those words.

"R-r-really?" sputtered Ken. "THE Son Goku? His fights in the Tenkaichi Budokai are legendary!"

Gohan grinned with pride, forgetting his prior apprehension. "Yep, that's my Dad."
    
    Ken and his buddies stepped back, clearing a way for Gohan and Videl. "Sorry, man, I didn't know. Even though your Dad isn't as strong as Hercule, he's pretty good. I'm sure you'll do fine here."

Gohan chose to ignore the thing about his Dad, giving the guy a smile. "Thanks." It seemed as if he'd made a friend here. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad . . .

*~*

"Damn it, Sharpner, you are SO annoying!" snapped Erasa. She jumped out of her car and returned it to it's capsule.

He just grinned. "Like I'm going to pass up the chance to see Gohan make a fool of himself!"

Erasa had made the mistake of telling Sharpner about Gohan's assessment test and that Videl had invited her to come and see him fight. Of course, Sharpner had begged to let him come with her until Erasa cracked and said yes. Now they were outside of Hercule mansion, walking up to the door.

Before they even knocked, Videl threw the door open. "You're just in time, Erasa. We're just about to . . . what is HE doing here?"

Sharpner looked hurt. "Aw, Videl, I just wanted to wish Gohan good luck."
    
    "Good luck my ass," Videl said. "Since you're already here, I GUESS you can come in." She stepped back, allowing the two to enter her house. She led them down to the blue room, where her father was waiting with a group of fighters. Gohan was standing in the ring, stretching and awaiting the commencement of the mini-tournament.

He was a little uncertain if he should whip out early, if he should pretend to be weaker than he actually was. Something in him screamed no. Gohan would try his best, though it seemed as if no one there would be a true challenge to him.

"It's about time you showed up, Videl," shouted Hercule. He then caught sight of Sharpner and grinned. "Welcome, Sharpner! You here to watch the test?"

Sharpner nodded. He glared a bit at Gohan, who was watching him closely, and then went up to Videl's father. _Maybe if I get all buddy-buddy with Videl's pop, then I just might have a chance with Videl. _"This is a really nice place you got here, Mr. Satan sir."
    
    "Thanks! You know, Sharpner . . . you'd be a fine addition to my school. You've got the makings of a fine fighter. Maybe we can work something out later . . ."

Videl cleared her throat loudly. There was NO way she wanted Sharpner going to her father's school. "Can we PLEASE get this started, Dad? We don't have all day!"

"Oh, right. Let's see. What level should we start him out with? Maybe a level two fighter . . ."

"LEVEL TWO?!!!" squeaked Gohan. What an insult! "I'm a whole lot better than that, Mr. Satan."

Erasa giggled at Gohan's shocked expression.

Videl rolled her eyes. "How about in the middle? Level five sounds good."

Hercule shrugged his shoulders. "Fine. Alright, Bakura, you're up!"

Gohan raised an eyebrow as a skinny climbed into the ring. THIS was Bakura? The guy was at least seven feet tall and probably weighed less than a twig. _Is this a joke? _Gohan shook his head. Looks could be deceiving . . . He lowered himself into a fighting stance.

"GO GOHAN!!" shouted Erasa, giving him a thumbs up sign.

He flushed, then smiled at her, and then noticed the bored look on Videl's face. _It's nice to know that at least **one** person is rooting for me out there._

Hercule clapped his hands once. "FIGHT!!!"

Bakura immediately took to the offensive, attacking Gohan swiftly. Gohan wasn't really surprised at the boy's speed- after all, he probably weighted sixty pounds. The twig boy aimed a punch at Gohan's face.
    
    Gohan laughed at bit, then danced around the boy, dodging the punch. "You're going to have to be faster than that to hit me!"

Bakura growled. "HIYA!!!" He kicked at Gohan's stomach. Gohan quickly grabbed the boy's leg and yanked gently. The twig boy stumbled forward, then whirled around . . . his face connecting with Gohan's fist.

Bakura fell onto the floor with a thud and remained there. Videl went up to inspect the young fighter. "He's unconscious," she announced, sounding a bit startled. Her eyes flew to Gohan's grinning face. _He's good and he knows it. He was just playing with that kid._

Everyone was a bit shocked, Hercule and Sharpner most of all. They were gapping at Gohan, unable to say a word.

Videl dragged the unconscious boy off out of the ring and handed him to another fighter.
    
    Hercule suddenly found his voice. "Well, kid, that was a good start. Let's see how you do against a level EIGHT fighter. Probably won't last a second," he added as a side note to Sharpner. "Okay, Yumi, step up."

As Yumi emerged from the crowd, Gohan took a step back. A girl?!!! He was going to fight a GIRL?!!! Of course Gohan had learned from his mother not to hit girls, but . . . this was different. _It's okay, Gohan. Just don't hurt her . . . too much._

Videl vacated the ring and rejoined Erasa. "He's good, isn't he Videl? That first match was cool!" the blond girl exclaimed.

"He's good, alright. But let's see how he does against Yumi. She's a really good fighter," muttered Videl. She kept her heated gaze on Gohan. He looked a little hesitant about fighting a girl. Videl grinned. _I hope she beats his ass!!_

"FIGHT!!" shouted Hercule.

"You sure are cute," said Yumi, loud enough for everyone to hear her. Gohan flushed as usual. "It's too bad that I'm going to have to beat you."

"Is that so?"

She nodded once, then ran forward and gave him a hard punch in the face. "WHAT THE HELL?!!" she exclaimed. _The kid is still standing? AFTER THAT?!!_

Gohan sighed. Time to end this. Gohan launched several attacks at her, pushing Yumi to the very edge of the ring. Gohan then lifted her up, ignoring her cries of protest and the kicks she aimed at his privates with her short legs, and placed her outside of the ring. "I win."

"JERK!! You didn't even hit me!" she cried. "We should have a re-match."

Gohan shook his head. "I won fair and square. You landed out of the ring, therefore, you lost."

"UHHHHH!!!!" Yumi stomped off.
    
    Hercule cleared his throat. "Er, okay . . ." Now what? Who was he going to put him up against? He had no one in mind- he hadn't thought that Gohan would make it as far as he did. Suddenly, he had an idea. [A/N: YES, Hercule had an IDEA! Alert the press! It thinks!] "I've got a little surprise for you, kid. The next fighter is . . . VIDEL!!"

Gohan gasped. _NANI?!!! _This was NOT happening!! He had to fight Videl?!! Gohan gulped nervously as Videl stepped into the ring.

Videl smirked at him. She could tell that he was backing away from her. "You know, Gohan, you won't be able to beat me the way you beat Yumi. You're _actually_ going to have to fight me."

"Er . . . I know!!"

"Good." _Okay, Son Gohan. Let's see what you're made of._

"FIGHT!!!"

Videl dropped into a fighting stance. She eyed Gohan's stiff form. "Come on, Gohan. You're not going to wimp out on me, are you? Scared to fight a girl or something?"

When Gohan didn't answer, she attacked him with a growl. He just blocked her fierce attacks. "You . . . WILL . . . fight me . . . Son Gohan!" She punched him- hard- in the stomach.

Gohan gasped. _Woah! She's stronger than I thought!_

Then Videl socked him in the face. Gohan fell back onto the ring floor. Videl sat on Gohan's stomach and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Fight me, damn you," she hissed.

Gohan couldn't think. She was WAY too close to him for comfort . . .

She glared down at him when he did not reply. She could hear someone counting in the background. " . . . eight . . . nine . . ."

Videl growled, then yanked Gohan up off of the ground. "FIGHT ME, STUPID!!!!" she roared, clenching her fists.

__

Oh, great. She'll kill me if I don't fight her and she'll probably hate me for beating her. Now what?

Gohan made up his mind. He began to fight her back, carefully controlling his strength. Videl was good. So far she was keeping up with him, but neither of them managed to get any hits in. Videl backed away from him and took several deep breaths. "You're pretty good."

"So are you."

Videl attacked again. Gohan defended himself, then went into the offensive mode. They switched between defense and offense every once and a while.

An hour and a half later, they were STILL going at it. Neither of them looked as if they were ready to give up anytime soon. Erasa plopped onto the floor with a sigh and the other fighters shifted restlessly.

Hercule himself was getting a little bored. He glanced at his watch. This had gone on way too long. "OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH!!! STOP, STOP, STOP!!"

Gohan and Videl stopped in their tracks. "DAD!!" Videl shouted. "It was just getting good!"

Hercule just waved his hand. "I say the boy has earned a place in level ten. Besides, we don't have all day to wait of one of you to win."
    
    Gohan gladly stepped out of the ring. "Good work out, ne, Videl?"

She just glared at him. "We WILL fight again. And I will win."

A sweatdrop rolled down the back of his head. _Boy, she sure is feisty! And persistent! _"Uh, sure, Videl. Whatever you say."

Erasa jumped up off of the ground and ran over to Videl, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "That was great, girl! Amazing."

Videl could only glare at Gohan, who was now surrounded by some of his father's female students. "_Where _did he learn to fight like that?"

Erasa just shrugged her shoulders. "Why?"

Videl felt that there was more to Gohan that met the eye. In fact, she was almost positive. _Whatever you're hiding, Gohan, you won't be hiding it for long. I'm going to uncover your mysterious past, if it's the last thing I do._

Author's Notes: Okay, so it was a boring chapter. (Ha! You all thought he was going to lose on purpose! Well, he did . . . sorta.) Again, if you want to be in my MAILING LIST, please leave your e-mail address in the review.

[1] I have nothing against gay/lesbians. I just thought it was something that Hercule would say. You've gotta admit, he probably WOULD . . .

****

ADVERTISING: This cool epic story is by Brandon B called 'Dragon Ball G: Generations'. It's basically a continuation of DBGT, so if you haven't seen it, it contains spoilers and such. So far it has three parts, but, since it's an epic, there are many more coming! Oh, yeah, there's some Gohan/Videl in there too. Check it out!

__

NEXT CHAPTER: Hercule leaves town to attend to some business, leaving Gohan and Videl 'alone'. Erasa convinces Videl to throw a party while Hercule is away and Sharpner secretly invites Angela to the party. Hmm . . . Angela has something sneaky planned for Gohan . . .


	12. I House Party

Author's Notes: Hiya! Nothing new to say. But if you can help me out with anything on my wish list down below, I'd appreciate it . . .

Enchantress101's Wish List: A new computer, Son Gohan, Mirai Trunks, a Playstation 2, Final Fantasy X, and all rights to DBZ (would I make you all wait several months for a new episode? NO!) She would also like a cherry apple Volkswagen Beetle, Son Gohan, and 'A' in Algebra II and AP Euro. History, all of the soundtracks to her favorite anime shows, the complete VHS uncut and unedited versions of Escaflone and CCS, Son Gohan, a Chrysler PT Cruiser, Son Gohan, Li Syaoran from CCS, Duo Maxwell from Gundam Wing, Shiro Amada from 8th MS Team and, once again, the extremely hot Son Gohan. Now, as you can tell, I probably won't be getting most of those things anytime soon (especially not any of my handsome, FINE anime guys or DBZ). But hey, one can dream . . .

*~* Chapter Twelve *~*

House Party

__

Same Day . . .

Erasa watched as Gohan hit another pool ball into a pocket of Videl's brand new pool table. She yawned a bit. "WHEN am I going to get my turn?" she asked.

Gohan grinned. Pool was such an easy game. All he had to do was calculate the angles in his head and do some simple math . . .

Videl snorted loudly from the couch. "He's probably doing all the math in his head. You might as well give up Erasa. You'll never beat him."

Gohan shot Videl a glance, then purposely missed his next shot to give Erasa a chance.

Videl, Sharpner, Gohan and Erasa were lounging around in Videl's entertainment room, trying to keep themselves occupied after Gohan's test. 

Hercule suddenly entered the game room and cleared his throat loudly, catching everyone's attention. He sent Erasa, Gohan, Sharpner a hesitant glance. "Videl, sweet-pea, I've got something to tell you."

Videl narrowed her gaze. Was it that time of the month again? "What?"

"I've . . . er, gotta go away on a . . . business trip. I'll be leaving in a few hours." Hercule glanced at Videl's friends, then returned his gaze to his daughter.

Business? Hardly. He was probably going to meet up with one of his girlfriends like he did at least once every month. "When will you be back?" she asked, although she really didn't care.

"Er . . . in a week or so," answered her father. "I'll . . . just leave you kids alone now."

When he was gone, Erasa grinned at her best friend. "Your Dad is going to be gone for a week! This is perfect!"

"Perfect for what?" Gohan asked.

"To have a party!"

Gohan frowned. "A party. But-"

Sharpner, who'd been engaged in a fierce pinball game, looked up. "A party sounds great. Your house is perfect, Videl."

"But-" Gohan began.

"I don't know, guys . . ." Videl said. "I've never thrown a party before."

Erasa waved her hand. "I can take care of that. I've had a ton at my house and I haven't been caught yet."

"But-"

"What about the maids and butlers?" asked Videl. "There's no way I'll be able to get rid of them."

"But-"

"Who says you have to get rid of them?" Erasa smiled cunningly at Videl. "Look, the maids and butlers here love you. I'm sure they'll let you throw one little party."

Gohan took a deep breath. He was tired of being ignored. "But you haven't asked your dad for permission, Videl. I don't think he'll let you have a party if he's not here."

Sharpner rolled his eyes. "That's why we're not going to ask for permission, stupid. He doesn't have to know, IF we do things right."

Gohan turned to Videl. It was clear that he wasn't going get through to Erasa or Sharpner, and he hoped that Videl would make the right decision and say no to the whole party idea. "What do YOU think, Videl?"

__

Why should Dad always have all the fun? I work hard to protect this city, and what does he do? Sit on his ass all day. "A party sounds great. Now who should we invite?"

Gohan groaned and collapsed onto a couch. Why did he even try? No one ever listened to him anyway.

Erasa began to spout out various names and Videl wrote them down. Sharpner began writing down things that they would need, like snacks and drinks.

"Great. I'm out of names," muttered Erasa a few minutes later.

Videl looked over the small list. "I think that's enough. Let's keep things small."

Sharpner turned to the girls, an idea popping into his head. "Did you invite Angela?"

"OHHHHH, NO! She is NOT coming!" exclaimed Gohan, jumping up off the couch and waving his arms frantically. Just the thought of her being in the same house as him freaked him out.

"I agree with Gohan. I don't want that bitch in my house, not after what she did." Videl put the list of names aside, closing the issue. "What do you have down for snacks?"

"Chips, dip, cookies, maybe some pizza, nachos . . . then I have water, sodas, beer and-"

"BEER?!!!" exclaimed Gohan. If his mother found out that he was at a party where kids were drinking, she'd kill him. "I don't think that's such a good idea," he said, envisioning drunk kids sprawled all over Videl's house, doing who knows what.

Sharpner glared at Gohan. "You're such a momma's boy, Gohan. Look, a few beers aren't going to hurt. What's the problem?"

Videl gave Sharpner a heated gaze. "I don't want any alcohol at my party, understood? Take it off."

Sharpner reluctantly did as he was told.

"Now, of course there have to be some ground rules," Videl continued. "In addition to no alcohol, there will be no smoking of ANYTHING, no drugs, and no one is allowed in any rooms other than where the party is going to be held."

"And where will that be?" asked Erasa.

"Um . . . how about this room? It's just big enough and it's got some entertainment," Gohan said helpfully.

Videl nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. Now, to enforce my rules, I'll set up some mean looking body guards at the doors."

Gohan sighed and sat back, listening to the rest of the planning that was going on, carefully monitoring their conversation. _Maybe this party won't be that bad. As long as we keep everything under control, then nothing should go wrong._

*~*

A few hours later, the gang was rummaging through Videl's huge kitchen for snacks, hoping to avoid spending any of their own money. To Videl's relief, there was a ton of junk food stored away in a pantry. They all grabbed as much food as they could and headed back to the rec. room.

On their way, they were stopped by Iria. She eyed all of the food they were carrying down the hall. "You kids that hungry?"

"Uh . . ." Videl bit her bottom lip.

Erasa winked at the housemaid. "We're throwing a party later, if you don't mind."

"ERASA!!!" Videl shrieked. "You could've been more . . . subtle."

The older woman just smiled knowingly. "When the cat's away, the mice will play. Go on, kids. I didn't see a thing . . ." Iria continued down the hall, whistling as she went.

"See? I told you we'd have no trouble," boasted Erasa.

They returned to the rec. room and placed the food they'd coveted on the couch. Videl looked around. "We're going to need a long table . . ."

"How about the one in your foyer?" Erasa suggested.

Gohan gapped at them. Was Erasa talking about the one he THOUGHT she was talking about? The nice, shiny wooden one that had probably cost a fortune? "Uh, guys . . ."

Videl thought. "Hmm . . . that could work. I'll go get a tablecloth or something."

"WAIT!! Er, Videl . . ."

"What is it Gohan?"

"That seems like a really nice table. It might get messed up . . ."

Videl just shrugged her shoulders. "Dad will just have to buy a new one."

Erasa laughed. "That's the attitude, girl! Now let's go get some of your Dad's hunky fighters to help us bring it down . . ." The two girls left, chatting about how great Videl's party was going to be.

Sharpner snickered as Gohan's shoulders slumped over a bit. _He's such a dork. I can't see why Angela wants him . . . Speaking of Angela . . . _Sharpner cleared his throat. "I'm going to go make a phone call. I'll be back."

Sharpner darted from the room, chuckling evilly the whole time. He headed to the nearest phone and punched in a few numbers.

"Hello?"

"Angela, this is Sharpner."

"Oh. What do YOU want?" she asked in an annoyed voice.

"I just thought you'd be interested to know that Videl's throwing a house party tonight. Gohan'll be there . . ."

There was a brief pause from the other end. "Gohan? You sure? Oh, I forgot. He's living in that bitch's house now, right? Well . . . I suppose I could . . . stop by . . ."

"Sounds great. The party starts at eight, but you might want to get there a little later so that Videl won't notice you come in."

"Thanks for the tip. I'll be sure to show up."

Sharpner hung up the phone without a goodbye. He rubbed his hands together sinisterly. _While Angela keeps the geek busy, I'll have Videl all to myself!_

Back in the rec. room, Gohan was wincing as two big guys that Erasa had found dropped the table that they were carrying. They both laughed stupidly and set it right side up. "OOPS!"

Videl just rolled her eyes. "Okay, boys, you can go now."

"Sure thing Ms. Videl! Glad we could help."

Gohan went over to inspect the table. His eyes widened when he caught sight of a huge chip on the other side. "Oh, no . . . It's chipped, Videl."

She just shrugged her shoulders and threw a red tablecloth over the table. "So? Let's get all of this food onto the table. We'll open it up later."

Sharpner rejoined them and helped them sort the snacks and put them onto the table. Videl assigned Sharpner the job of getting a cooler and some sodas and bottled water, Erasa the job of bringing up more snacks, and told Gohan to follow her up to her room.

Gohan wasn't all too sure about what they needed for the party that was in her room. "Er . . . what are we getting up here?"

"My stereo." She flung her door open and, for the first time, Gohan stepped into her room. As expected, there was not any lace or pink to be found anywhere. The walls of her room were white, her carpet was also white, and her bed sheets were a deep blue.

"When you're done analyzing my room, you can pick up my stereo for me," said Videl.

Gohan blinked several times, then blushed. "Sorry." He moved over to her dresser and picked up the stereo with ease.

"Careful. THIS I don't want you to drop." She grabbed her case full of CDs and they left her room.

Gohan was very careful with Videl's stereo and gently set it on a table that sat in the corner of the rec. room.

Videl looked around. "Okay . . . we've got music, food, drinks, entertainment . . ."

"Now all we need are some people!" squealed Erasa.

Videl grinned. "Right. Let's get to the phones and start calling people." She divvied up the list of names and produced a corresponding list of phone numbers from her pocket.

"Where'd you get those from?" wondered Sharpner.

"The school. If you go to Orange Star High, then I probably have your number," she muttered.

Gohan felt a little uneasy at the prospect of calling up some kids from Orange Star High, when he didn't really know them. After all, he WAS relatively new to the school.

Videl sent them off to different rooms to use phones, explaining that she had at least ten different phone lines in the house. She gave them each a line to use.

Gohan went up to his room and hesitantly picked up the phone. He dialed his first number.

"Hello?"

"Uh . . . is this Kitty Wilson?"

"You bet! Who's this? You sound really cute!"

Gohan heard some faint giggling in the background. _Oh great. She has friends over._ "Er, this is Son Gohan, from school."

"_THE_ SON GOHAN????!!!!!!! DID YOU ALL HEAR THAT?!!! _THE _SON GOHAN IS CALLING MY HOUSE!!! **AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!**"

Gohan winced as her friends shouted as well. "Kitty? You still there?"

The girl caught her breath. "Oh, I'm here! What would you like?"

"Videl's having a party tonight and you're invited."

"REALLY?!!! And YOU'LL be there, right? Wait, of course you will! You won that contest, lucky you!"

__

Lucky me . . . " . . . Right. The party starts at eight. Just come to the front door and someone will show you the way to the party."

"SO COOOOOL!!!!!!! I'll be there!!!"

"Great! Bye."

The rest of Gohan's calls pretty much went the same way, at least then he called girls. The boys were just interested in how Hercule's school was.

Gohan sighed when, forty-five minutes later, he realized that he'd finished all of his phone calls. He went back to the rec. room, surprised to see that the others were already down there.

"Took you long enough," snickered Sharpner.

__

If I hadn't been asked so many questions, I would've been done a long time ago. But, of course, Gohan said nothing. "Now what?"

"Now," said Videl, "we relax. I'm sure we'll need all of our strength for this party tonight."

In the end, they decided to go up to Videl's room and hang out. Sharpner convinced Gohan to challenge him in a fighting video game that Videl had. He found it mildly entertaining- but it was a lot more fun when he saw the shocked look on Sharpner's face when Gohan K.O.'ed him in less than ten seconds in every round they played. [1]

Erasa forced Videl to go through her closet and find something nice to wear to the party. It was a walk in closet, so, as the girls chatted, they were pretty sure that Sharpner or Gohan couldn't hear a word they said.

"You need to find something sexy, but not too sexy . . . dressy, but not too dressy . . . and comfortable . . ." muttered Erasa.

ROUND ONE! FIGHT! Could be heard from the area where Gohan and Sharpner were playing the video game.

"So, what does all of that mean?" asked Videl.

"Well . . ."

KO!!

"SHIT!!! HOW THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?!! We weren't even playing for thirty seconds!!"

Gohan just chuckled. "Another round?"

Sharpner shook his head, glaring at Gohan's cocky smile. "How about racing? NO one can beat me at racing!"

Erasa rolled her eyes. _Boys. _"Do you have a sun dress or something?"

Videl frowned. "A WHAT?"

"A sun dress! Come on, Videl! You know, a dress you'd wear in the summer, preferably with flowers on it?"

Videl wrinkled her nose. "Flowers? Ha! I don't think so! That's almost as bad as frilly lace."

Erasa looked around and wandered throughout the closet, shoving clothes out of the way as she went. Something caught her eye. "AH HA! There's something!" She pulled a white dress with blue Hawaiian print flowers on it. "This is perfect!"

Videl eyed it. "Iria got that for me a few months ago."

"And naturally you tossed the thing in the back of your closet! Shame, shame, shame!"

"WHY can't I wear some jeans and a nice shirt?" whined Videl.

"Because this is a party. And you're going to wear it! You'll look great!"

Videl had to find a way out of this. Sure, she'd worn a dress to the Hercule Day dance, but that was a little different. "Wait! I don't have any shoes to match! There! I can't wear it now."

Erasa stared down at the dress. "I think I've got some at home. Your feet are a size bigger than mine, right?"

Videl nodded.

"Well, it JUST SO HAPPENS that an aunt of mine bought me these OH SO CUTE shoes, but they were a size too big! They'll be great with this dress."

"Oh, Erasa . . ."

"Videl, this is YOUR party, and, as the hostess, you're going to have to look your best! I'm going to run home and get something for me to change into. While I'm there, I'll get those shoes!" Erasa tossed Videl the dress and left her room, saying bye to the guys.

She stared down at the dress in her hands. _I guess it won't be that bad . . . it **is** sorta . . . uh, I can't believe I'm saying this . . . it's sorta cute . . ._

Videl hung the dress up and left her closet, deciding to watch the guys race. She laughed as Gohan sped across the finish line followed by Sharpner.

"I won," announced Gohan.

Sharpner glared at him. "Best two out of three!"

Videl sighed and snatched up another controller. "I'm playing this time. And I'll kick both of your asses!"

They set the game again, deciding that they were going to do four laps. As soon as the green light appeared on the screen, they were off.

Gohan was purposely swerving, running into Sharpner's car. He forced the other boy's vehicle into a ditch, where it flipped over and crashed, catching on fire.

"DAMN!!!" he shouted and quickly reset his car.

It was a little too late, though. Videl and Gohan were way ahead of him.

Videl was trying the same technique that Gohan had used on Sharpner. She swerved over to him, grinning evilly. At the last minute, Gohan slammed on the brakes and Videl's car went careening into a bunch of trees, exploding on impact.

"NOOOO!!!!" she shouted.

Gohan sped ahead and eventually won the race. "You guys are sorry," he said. "I beat both of you and I've never played a video game before! Haha!"

"Sorry, huh?" muttered Videl. She snatched a pillow off of her bed and hit Gohan upside the head with it.

"HEY!" he shouted. He grabbed one and hit her lightly in the chest.

Videl looked at him as if he were stupid. "Like that hurt." She brought her pillow down on his head again.

This time Gohan put a little more force behind his hit, the pillow hitting Videl's arm.

Sharpner watched the pillow fight they were having as jealousy began to take him over. Had Videl ever had a pillow fight with him in all the years he'd known her? NO! And that goofy look on Gohan's face and the smile on Videl's were just _sickening_. And was Videl GIGGLING? Revolting!

Sharpner snatched the pillow from Videl's hand just as she was about to hit Gohan again. "Okay, let's act like civilized ADULTS here. Pillow fights are for elementary school kids."

Videl scowled at Sharpner and Gohan tossed the pillow back onto Videl's bed. "You're such a spoilsport, Sharpner," she said.

"Yeah? At least I act my age," he snapped back.

"Are you JEALOUS, Sharpner? Huh?"

"NO!" he said too loudly.

"You are too! Ha! You pathetic jealous bastard!" Videl shouted back, a teasing note in her voice.

"What do I have to be jealous of?" Sharpner asked. "Certainly not Mr. Momma's Boy over there, if that's who you mean."

"Hey," Gohan said, finally sticking up for himself. "I'm NOT a momma's boy."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Sharpner rolled his eyes. "You don't cuss, you don't drink, smoke and I bet you've never kissed a girl before. Wait. Do you even know what a girl IS?"

Was Sharpner INSULTING him? He was. Gohan felt his Saiyan side beginning to take over. "I HAVE kissed a girl, for your information!" he snapped.

"Oh, yeah? WHO?"

"VIDEL!!!"

The room was silent for a while. Videl groaned, buried her head in a pillow and began to scream. "Oops," muttered Gohan, smacking himself in the forehead. "I . . . don't think I was supposed to say that . . ."

"_NO _you weren't!!!!" Videl exclaimed, coming up for air. She then resumed her torture.

Sharpner was furious. "YOU KISSED VIDEL?!!! WHY I OTTA-"

"Cool it, Sharpner," Videl said in a stern voice, tossing the pillow across the room. "It was just a little kiss. Sorta . . . accidental, right Gohan?"

"Er, right! It was an accident!!"

Sharpner glared at Gohan. "An _accident_?! Did you slip and Videl's lips just _happened_ to break your fall?!" [2]

Gohan chuckled. "Haha! Never heard that one before!"

"I'M SERIOUS!!!" Sharpner turned to Videl. "Did he force you? Huh? You can tell me!"

"NO, he didn't. Now, just drop the subject. PLEASE!"

"Fine," Sharpner snapped. _I'll drop it, but I won't forget. Videl is mine, and she WILL be mine._

*~*

Erasa returned with her makeup, clothes and shoes, eager to get to work on Videl. She shooed the boys out of the room and began to fix Videl up.

"What was Sharpner so upset about?" Erasa asked. "He looked ready to kill."

"I guess if I don't tell you, then Sharpner will," Videl muttered, the told her friend about what had happened.

"You KISSED SON GOHAN??!!! Do you know how many girls, including me, would do ANYTHING for a chance to kiss Gohan! You are one lucky girl!"

"Yeah, well, it wasn't much of a kiss. No need to get worked up about it."

"RIGHT. Keep telling that to yourself. I'll remember you said that and I'll be sure to remind you of your words on your wedding day to Gohan."

"That is SOOO not funny! Honestly, you sound just like Gohan's mom!"

Erasa giggled. "That's right, you've even met the folks. Well, when's the big day?"

"E-RA-SAAAAA!! Cut it out!!!!"

"Okay, okay! Sorry. Now, let's get to work."

*~*

Gohan was sitting in his room, watching tv alone (Sharpner had opted to go down to the rec. room) when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Oh, Gohan, it's so good to hear your voice! I miss you already!"

"Mom! Uh, hi." _Maybe I AM a momma's boy . . . jeez . . ._

"Well. How is everything?"

"Er, just fine."

"That's good!" Chichi paused, then added. "Trunks told Bulma, who told Vegeta, who, for some reason, told Goten, who told ME that you were staying in the room across the hall from Videl's. Is that right?"

A sweat drop rolled down the back of Gohan's head. "Yeah . . ."

"How romantic!" she squealed. Then her voice got serious. "Now, Gohan, you know all about the birds and the bees, right? I don't want to hear that Videl's pregnant before you two even tied the knot and-"
    
    "JEEZ, MOM!!!!! REALLY, DO YOU MIND?!!!!" Gohan's face was on fire. "NOTHING like that is going to happen!"

"Better not. I mean, grandchildren would be great, but when you're a little older, you know? When you're stable. And I'm sure Videl's father wouldn't like it if his only daughter got pregnant out of wedlock-"

"I get it Mom. Relax."

"Sorry. Is my _baby_ getting enough food over there?"

"Yes, Mom. I'm just fine. Look, I . . . gotta go get ready for this . . . thing . . ."
    
    "What thing?" asked Chichi suspiciously.

"NOTHING!! Nothing to worry about."

"Don't lie to me, Son Gohan! I can tell you're lying!"

"Okay. Videl's father is out of town and she's throwing a party."

"WHAT!! Gohan-"

"There won't be any beer, drugs, smoking or . . ."

"Sex?"

Gohan turned red. "Er . . .right."

"Well . . ."

"Aw, Mom. Videl's a good girl. She knows what she's doing. She's got body guards all over the place, if that makes you feel any better."

"It does. Now, you be a good little boy, Gohan."

He sighed. "I will."

"Love you."

"Love you, too. Bye."

*~*

A few hours later, the gang met up in the rec. room. Gohan was a little startled by the cute dress and heels that Videl had decided to put on, but he wasn't complaining. She looked great in the dress, but, judging by her stiffness, thought otherwise.

Videl gathered a bunch of big men dressed in black and gave them their instructions. "I want you to search every bag for any drugs or alcohol. If they've got it, send them home. Make sure no one gets upstairs and try to keep them all in line. And remember, if they're NOT on the guest list, then they don't get in. Got it?"

"Yes, Miss Videl," they said together.

"Good. Now get to your stations!"

"Like a general leading her army . . ." Gohan muttered as the men filed out of the room and went their separate ways.

Within minutes, people began to show up. The room was suddenly filled with loud music and the voices of the kids. Videl watched carefully as they entered the room.

Gohan was already surrounded by a group of girls, most of them being girls he'd called to tell them about the party. He was wearing his Son Grin™ and had one hand placed on the back of his head.

"So, like, Gohan, tell us what it was like to fight against Videl?" one of the girls asked, pressing herself up against him, causing the other girls to try to do the same.

"Er . . . it was okay . . ."

Another girl giggled loudly. "OKAY? I bet you did great! Why," she poked him in the stomach, "look at these MUSCLES!"

Other girls began to poke at him too. "OHHH," and "AHHH," they went.

Gohan backed away from them. "Girls, girls, really! I-"

Videl walked by and yanked on the back of his shirt, separating him from the girls. "Thanks," he said breathlessly. "They're crazy!"

"They're damn vultures, that's what they are," she muttered. "It's not like you're a piece of meat."

After that, Gohan tried to keep a low profile by hanging around a bunch of other guys. They persuaded him into placing a bet on whether he could beat this kid named Ren in pool. No one knew how good Gohan was at the game, so of course he agreed. Most of the kids placed bets against him because he was the new kid AND a bookworm. When he won, they groaned out loud. Gohan collected his money and grinned at them. _Hmm . . . this could turn out a lot better than I thought . . . _[3]

*~*

"Sorry, Miss, but your name's not on the list," said the bodyguard.

Angela gapped at him. "Excuse me? WHAT did you say?"

"I said-"

"I didn't mean it LITERALLY! Now, I was invited by Sharpner. I demand to be let in! Now!" Angela cried, stamping her feet.

"Well, Miss Videl made this list and-"

"THAT would explain it!" Angela shuffled through her purse and pulled out a rather large bill. "Would THIS convince you to let me in?"
    
    The guard eyed the money. He was tempted . . . VERY tempted . . . "Hell, it's just a damn kiddy party anyway." He snatched the bill from Angela's hands and stepped aside. "Go on in."

"That's what I thought." Angela flipped her hair and entered the mansion. She followed a bunch of arrows and ended up in the rec. room. She carefully stayed out of Videl's eyesight and began to look for Gohan.

She grinned. There he was, in the corner, sitting by himself, watching other people dance and socialize. "Aw, poor baby could use some company."

Angela walked over to him, swinging her hips. When he caught sight of her, he jumped a bit. She slid into a vacant chair next to him.

"I . . . didn't know you were invited," Gohan said nervously. _I'm positively SURE you weren't invited!!_

"Oh, Videl called me up at the last minute and said she wanted to . . . patch things up with me. She thought that the party would be a great place to start," she purred, running her bright red nails up and down Gohan's arm.

"Oh."

Angela leaned in closer to him. "How about I get you a drink, sweetie?" she asked, her voice low.

"Er . . . sure! Sounds just fine!" Gohan slumped back in his chair as she left. _Oh, great! JUST great! Now what?!_

Angela came back a little later with a cup full of punch in her hand. She gave it to him. "Drink up, Gohan."

He practically gulped the stuff down. It was a little tangy . . . but that was okay. When he was done, she asked, "Do you want more?"

He, of course, nodded and she went away once more. _Anything to get her away from me!_

Gohan had two more cups of punch when he decided to make a get away. He stood up, only to fall back in his chair. "Woah . . . feelin a LITTLE dizzy . . ." he mumbled.

Angela grinned. "Poor thing. Would you like to . . . go upstairs?"

Gohan furiously shook his head. "I gotta go . . . potty . . ." And with that, he wondered off through the crowd.

It wasn't until an hour later that Videl noticed that Gohan was gone. She looked around the rec. room, but didn't see him anywhere. _Maybe I should go look for him . . . Besides, this music is giving me a headache._

Videl left the room and wandered around the house, eventually ending up outside. She headed over to the outdoor pool. She was surprised to see Gohan sitting on the edge of the pool, his pant legs rolled up, his shoes and socks thrown carelessly on the ground and his bare feet in the water. He was kicking at the water lightly with his feet, splashing water everywhere.

"Gohan?"
    
    He slowly turned his head to look at her. A daze, goofy smile was on his face. "Oh . . . it's V-chan. Hey V-chan! Wuzup?"

Videl frowned. _V-chan?_ What was going on here? "I just wanted some fresh air. I guess you did too."

"I guess. Come on, V-chan! Take off your shoes and . . . the water's great!" He splashed the water for effect.

Videl hesitantly took of her sandals and sat on the edge of the pool net to Gohan, sticking her feet in the cool water. She sighed and swished her feet around. 

"What a beautiful night!" exclaimed Gohan, staring up at the sky. The only thing that would make this night perfect is the moon! Too bad my friend blew it up . . . damn Piccolo." [4]

__

His friend blew up the moon . . . OKAY . . . what's his deal? "You feeling okay, Gohan?"

He grinned at her. "Of course I'm okay. I'm sittin under the stars with my friend V-chan! Look, V-chan, aren't the stars pretty?!"

"Uh, yeah. They sure are . . ."

"But, of course, they're not as pretty as you are, V-chan."

Videl jumped up. NO WAY Gohan would say anything like that. "Alright! Who are you and what did you do with the REAL Gohan?"

Gohan giggled. Yes, GIGGLED. "SILLY! I'm Gohan, and you're . . . you be . . . V-chan! Ha!"

Videl looked Gohan over. Was he . . . COULD he be? "Stand up Gohan."

He did as he was told. "Now wa . . ."

"What did you have to drink tonight?"

"Er . . ." he thought hard. "Some punch that Angela got me. That was about it."

__

Angela was here? She shook that thought away for a second. "Walk in a straight line," she ordered.

He tried, but stumbled and tripped over his feet. He laughed again. "Now it's silly me, right?! Haha!"

This only confirmed her suspicion. "Damn it, Son Gohan, you're drunk!" exclaimed Videl. _But where did he get the alcohol?_

Gohan tilted his head to one side. "This drunk? Is it a . . . good thing?"

Videl let out an exasperated sigh. "Put your shoes on. Now!"

As Gohan did that, he frowned. "Are you mad at me, V-chan? I didn't mean nothin . . ."

"NO, I'm not mad." She grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the rec. room. Once she was in there, she handed Gohan over to a startled Erasa. "Watch him, okay?" Videl stalked over to the punch and took a sip. No, she didn't think it wasn't spiked. So how . . .

Out of the corner of her eye, Videl saw a streak of blond hair. She narrowed her eyes and found the person she'd been looking for. "Angela . . ." she growled. How had she gotten into the party?

Well, she was leaving now. Angela was exiting the room, most likely heading for an exit. Videl ran to catch up with her.

"ANGELA!!!" she shouted, stopping the girl dead in her tracks.

The blond whirled around. "Oh . . . Videl."

"What the HELL are you doing in my house? I know I didn't invite you," she practically snarled.

"Well, I was just leaving." She turned around to leave.

Videl yanked on her bag, trying to stop her. Angela's bag fell to the floor . . . and a bottle half full of a white liquid rolled out. Videl picked it up. She didn't even have to read the label to know what it was.

"It was you, wasn't it?!" Videl shouted.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"YOU got Gohan drunk! So that you could what? Trick him into going upstairs with you?" When the other girl didn't answer, Videl yanked Angela roughly by the arm and led her to the front entrance. "Look, you sad, pathetic, desperate bitch, if I see you _ANYWHERE _near Gohan again, I'll rip all of your goddamn hair out!!" And with that, she shoved the other girl out of her house and tossed the bottle of alcohol out onto the ground where it shattered into tiny pieces. She then slammed the door in her face.

Videl stalked back to the rec. room, then shut off the music. "OKAY, EVERYONE!! PARTY'S OVER!! GO HOME!!!"

People reluctantly began to leave, telling her how great the party was on their way out. Gohan tried to leave with the rest of the kids, but Videl quickly pulled him aside.

Erasa and Sharpner stared at Videl. "Why'd you end the party so early?" Erasa asked.

"I'll tell you tomorrow," was all Videl said. They, too, left.

"Are we going to clean up now, V-chan?" asked Gohan with the goofy smile on his face.

"No."

"Then what are we gonna do?"

"YOU are going straight to bed," she said, pulling him through the house and up to his room.

Once they arrived, the shut the door behind her. She was a little unsure about what to do next- after all, she'd never been drunk herself and, although her father had been many times before, she'd never bothered to take care of him.

"Why don't you go take long shower, Gohan? Maybe that'll help," Videl suggested.

He just shrugged his shoulders and went into the bathroom. A little while later, Videl heard him turn on the water. She began to dig around in his dresser for some nightclothes for him to wear.

"V-chan! I need some help!" Gohan called from the bathroom.

Videl raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" she asked cautiously.

There came a giggle from the bathroom. "I . . . seem to be stuck," he said.

Videl hesitantly went into the bathroom, unsure of what she would find. She nearly sighed in relief when she saw that Gohan was just having a little difficulty removing his shirt. His arms were stuck behind his back and he just grinned at him stupidly. Videl reached up and helped him yank the shirt off, folding it and placing it on the edge of the sink. She looked him over. "I'm sure you won't be needing my help for anything else." She turned to leave.

"Wait!" exclaimed Gohan. Videl turned back around to face him, letting out a startled cry when he yanked her close to him and placed his lips on hers.

Videl, after a brief period of struggling against him, sank into Gohan's warm embrace, fully accepting the kiss. She began to kiss him back, running her hands up his bare back and slipping them into his hair. Videl moaned softly when Gohan pried her lips open with his tongue and began to sweep it over the roof of her mouth.

They stood like that, kissing passionately for a few minutes, until Videl felt a rush of cold water streaming down her back and all over the rest of her body as well.. She shrieked and jumped away from Gohan, looking around. "WHAT THE HELL?!!" How had she ended up in the shower?

Gohan was laughing at her. "I thought V-chan would like to take a shower too!"

"ARGG!" she cried and stepped out of the shower. Videl gave Gohan a super heated glare and said in a forced calm voice, "I'm going to go get dry and get changed. By the time I get back, you'd better be showered, dressed, and ready for bed! Got it?!" Without waiting for an answer, she stomped off.

Gohan stared after her. "What's her deal?"

*~*

By the time Videl had changed her clothes and put on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, she was feeling a little bad for yelling at Gohan the way she did. After all, he WAS drunk, and didn't really know what he was doing.

__

But that kiss . . .

Ah, the kiss. She shivered just at the thought of it. It had been hot, intense . . . and absolutely wonderful. But what had been his reason for kissing her like that?

__

Damn it Videl, he was DRUNK! Tomorrow, he probably won't even remember that it happened! And you'd do well to forget it, too.

Videl mentally shook herself and returned to Gohan's room. She found him curled up on his bed, snoring ever so softly. A tiny smile appeared on Videl's face. Gohan was just too damn cute to be mad at for long.

Videl tucked him under some sheets and stared down at his sleeping form. She then grinned evilly. "You're going to have one dozy of a headache when you wake up," she muttered. "But after drenching me in that water, I'd say you deserve it."

Gohan shifted in his bed, muttering something softly.

Videl reached out to brush a dark lock of hair out of his face, then pulled her hand back at the last minute. She turned off the lights, gave him one last look, then closed the door behind her.

Author's Note: Man, that was hard to write! Anyway, I've never been drunk, nor have I really been around a drunken person, so I improvised a bit. *Enchantress101 waves a banner that says 'Drug and Alcohol Free is the Way to Be!'* 

****

ADVERTISING: I've got two cool Gohan/Videl stories, which, judging by the amount of reviews they've received, you've probably already read.

* 'Saiyaman: The Movie' by Ms. Videl Son. This was hilarious. And cute! And, just in case Ms. Videl Son is reading this: BOB?!! **BOB?!!**

* 'The Field Trip; or Murphy's Law' by DemonDancing. This is SLIGHTLY based on my idea about the field trip to Capsule Corp. Yep, she asked my for my permission and it's great!

P.S.- If you know a fic that is really good and think that I should put it here, tell me so I can check it out. I'm going to try to get you all something outside of DBZ soon! 

[1] Is that technically possible? J 

[2] I know, I know! It's old, but I saw it on _Boy Meets World_ a long time ago and that line just popped into my head when I was writing that part. I was cracking up when I first heard it!

[3] Okay, so Gohan wouldn't gamble. But the guys convinced him . . . I guess . . . Hey, it was easy money! J 

[4] Did they ever wish the moon back? And while you're at it, could you tell me if Yamcha _really_ played pro baseball? I've noticed it in other fics and I was just wondering if it was true or not.

__

Next Chapter: Uh . . . well, I can't tell you that much about the next chapter because it'll give it all away! But here's something: this time, Angela's got something REALLY BAD planned for Videl. And when I say bad, I mean BAD. I can see it now . . . my e-mail box filled with hate letters and such . . . 

__


	13. I Dangerous Ambitions

Author's Notes: I'm glad you guys were cool with the last chapter. If you guys didn't mind that, then you shouldn't mind this. 

****

WARNINGS: Slight violence (sorta), slight OOC from Videl.

Part I

*~* Chapter Thirteen *~*

Dangerous Ambitions

Early the next morning, Videl found herself standing in the kitchen, preparing some breakfast for herself and Gohan. She wasn't sure if his stomach would be able to handle food, but she would try. Videl made a bunch of tea, too, to help soothe Gohan's stomach.

She carefully placed the food and drinks on a tray and made her way up to Gohan's room. Videl slowly opened the door and stepped inside, immediately placing the tray on a table next to his bed. She reached down and shook him.

"Gohan. Gohan, time to get up," she said.

"Urmph . . ." he mumbled, shifting in the bed.

She took the blankets away from him and shook a little harder. "Come on, get up!"

Gohan finally sat up, placing his hand to his temple. "Gosh, I feel awful," he moaned. "I feel like I just got hit by one of Dad's strongest Kamehameha's."

__

A WHAT? He must still be out of it. "It's called a hangover. That happens when you drink too much alcohol."

Gohan looked shocked. "A h-hangover? Alcohol? What happened last night?"

"You mean . . . you don't remember ANYTHING?" asked Videl carefully. So there was a slight chance that he wouldn't remember that totally hot kiss they'd shared the night before?

Gohan shook his head. "I remember playing pool with some guys . . . and the rest is a big blank." He groaned. "Uh, I've got a killer headache."

Videl went into the bathroom and retrieved some Tylenol. She handed him two, and gave him a cup of warm tea to drink.

He swallowed the pills and sipped at the tea. "Alcohol . . . do you mind telling me how I got drunk?"

Videl sat on the edge of his bed. "It wasn't totally your fault. Somehow Angela sunk into my party and slipped some alcohol into your punch. My guess is that she wanted to trick you into going into a bedroom where she could take advantage of you."

Gohan flushed. _GOSH, I'm stupid! How did I let this happen? _"She . . . didn't, did she?" Gohan asked hesitantly.

Videl shook her head. "I made sure of that. Do you think you can eat?"

He furiously shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm going to take a nice, long hot shower . . ."

Videl watched as he slowly got out of bed, went over to his dresser where he removed some clothes, and trudged into the bathroom, shutting the door gently behind him. She began to nibble at the breakfast she'd made, then turned the tv on, switching it to a news station. Videl's mind was definitely not on whatever the reporter on tv was saying; she was more worried about the fact that Gohan didn't remember the kiss.

Did she want him to? That was a tough question. Videl was, she hated to admit, falling for Gohan's charm a bit. The boy was innocently sexy, WAY too kind for his own good, a true friend AND he was a damn good kisser. What more could a girl want?

Videl recalled the way she'd leaned into Gohan's kiss, accepting it. The way she ran her hands up his smooth, bare back and up into his soft hair . . . She shivered slightly at the memory.

__

Gohan and I are just friends . . . and besides, if I wanted to take our relationship any further, I don't think he'd feel the same. We're just so different . . . and he deserves someone better than me. Would I **really** be able to give him what he needs?

****

So now we've decided that we LIKE him, right?

It's just a 'what if' type of thing.

****

Right. If you say so. Now, since you think that Gohan needs someone BETTER than you, describe the perfect girl for him.

Pretty, smart, nice, kind . . . and not so rough and tough, like me.

****

So in other words you think he needs a spineless, hothouse pansy that needs constant attention and praise to satisfy her own shallow needs?

Well . . . when it's put THAT way . . .

****

That's what I though. Since when have you ever NOT gone after something you want?

That's the point! DO I want him, or am I just delusional?

****

Why are you asking me?

I thought you WERE me.

****

Make up your mind, Videl. Before someone else snatches him up!

At that moment, Gohan emerged from the shower, looking clean and refreshed. She took a deep breathand smiled at him. "Feeling any better?" she asked.

Gohan froze, surprised to see a smile on her face. "Uh, a little better. Maybe I could eat a little of that food . . . if there's any left."

"There's plenty left." She gestured towards the tray. Gohan sat on the bed, quite far away from her. He slowly at some of the food, sitting stiffly.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Videl asked.

Gohan shrugged his shoulders. "How about we go out and . . . I don't know, hang out?"

"Are you up to going out? You sure you feel-"

Gohan laughed a bit. "You're beginning to sound a lot like my Mom. I'll be fine. Don't worry about it!"

Videl sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll . . . change my clothes and be ready in ten minutes, okay? I'll meet you in the foyer." She quickly exited Gohan's room and went into her own.

Gohan grabbed a light jacket and his wallet, then went downstairs. He was feeling a little sluggish, but that was about it. _Maybe my Saiyan blood helped my system get rid of the alcohol._

He waited in the foyer for about twenty minutes and was just about to go back upstairs to see what was keeping Videl when she appeared, looking a little flustered.

"Sorry I took so long," she said. "Ready?"

Gohan nodded. It was quite obvious that she'd given the outfit that she was wearing some consideration, and that was probably why she'd taken so long to get ready. She looked nice in her blue shorts and white tank top, though, in his opinion, the shorts were a little TOO short.

They stepped out into the warm summer sun, making Videl happy with her choice of clothing. "Shall we take the copter, or would you rather walk?" Videl asked.

"It's such a nice day," commented Gohan. "We can walk."

Videl's house wasn't too far from Main Street, where a lot of the best stores were located. She agreed and they began their walk in silence.

Videl stared up at Gohan, who looked pretty good for a person who was stinking drunk just last night. The bright sun or the loud cars didn't seem to bother him as they walked along the street. In fact, he looked quite content with his hands buried in his pockets and a tiny grin on his face.

__

Oh, Kami, he's handsome . . .

She flushed as Gohan caught her staring at him. "Something wrong Videl?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm just fine."

Soon they ended up on Main, which was already bustling with early morning shoppers. Gohan stuck close to Videl as they maneuvered through the crowd, not wanting to loose her.

Videl drifted into a bookstore, followed by Gohan. They went their separate ways in the store. Videl wandered up and down the isles, trying to find something that looked remotely interesting. She paused when her eyes caught sight of a book titled _How to Find the Perfect Guy_. Next to that one was another book titled _How to Know He's the One._

She was a little disgusted by the fact that she wanted to pick them up and flip through the pages. After all, she'd never been interested in love before. Or, before she met Gohan, that was.

__

Get a hold of yourself, Videl! Every girl goes through some stupid phase like this. Now it's your turn and you're NOT going to let this get out of control. The key word is **friends**.

Videl forced herself to keep walking. Yes, she and Gohan were just friends, and that's all they would ever be.

*~*

Shopping always made her feel better. Last night had been total and utter _hell_, and now she needed to treat herself. Spending money had been the perfect solution.

Angela handed the cashier her credit card and sighed with pleasure as the woman swiped the plastic. She signed the receipt and watched as the woman folded and placed her new clothes into large bags.

Okay, so what if she'd gone over her limit? Her dear old papa would take care of it, like he did every other time she went over.

Angela was happy with herself as she exited the clothing store and stepped out onto Main Street with four bags in her hand. Now all she had to do was make it to her stretch limo parked a few stores down and . . .

Angela almost dropped her bags when she caught sight of Gohan and Videl standing across the street. Videl was dressed like some two-cent hooker in her skimpy shorts and she was practically draped over Gohan, pointing into some window. And, of course, Gohan had his usual grin on his face and was nodding as Videl spoke.

Angela was boiling with rage. _How DARE she? She gives me that 'pathetic, desperate bitch' speech, then dresses like some street corner trash and hangs all over Gohan!_

She was fed up with it. And she was fed up with petty little plans that amounted to nothing! Well, she was going to fix that, and fix it permanently.

Angela stomped down to her limo and tossed her bags into the back seat, the got in. "Church Street," was all she said to the driver.

The driver froze, the turned to look at Angela. "C-Church Street? Are you sure, Miss?"

She grinned evilly. "Oh, I'm sure. Now drive!"

He hesitantly did as he was told.

Angela could not balm the poor man for his hesitation. She knew that Church Street was a dangerous place where gang members hung out. But that was the type of man she needed for her job.

As they neared Church Street, the buildings began to look more broken down. There was trash all over the place and bums hanging out on the corners and in front of stores. 

The driver stopped at Church Street. "Be careful, Miss," he said.

Angela stepped out of the limo, and the driver immediately locked the doors. 

She held her head up high and began to walk down the street, aware that the people who were milling around were watching her. She ignored them and walked until she came across a dingy alley where several men were flexing and showing off their muscles. Angela took a deep breath and entered the alley, eyeing the men as she went. Her gaze fell upon a big man sitting on the ground, watching the others. She approached him.

"Why you just sitting here?" she asked confidently.

The man eyed her. "What's a rich lady like you doing out here?"

"I've got a job I need someone to do. You think you can handle it?"

He stood up. The man was a lot taller than Angela had expected. "Of course, lady. What you want done?"

"I need someone dead."

The man raised a dark eyebrow. "Dead? What's in it for me?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Monetary compensation. Money, if you didn't get it."

"How much?"

"Depends on how good of a job you do."

He appeared to think it over. "I haven't killed in a while. Damn boss forbade it. Fine. Who's the target?"

"Satan Videl. I'm sure you've heard of her."

"I have. She's the daughter of that guy who beat some monster named . . . what was it? Bacteria?"

Angela wondered briefly why the man didn't know about Cell, but then quickly dissolved that thought. Who cared? "That's right. You take her down, I pay you."

"How'll I contact you once I'm done."

"I'LL find YOU. Remember, I'M pulling the shots, buddy. By the way, what's your name?"

The man smirked. "You can call me Vile."

*~*

Videl took the ice cream cone from the vendor and joined Gohan on a park bench. They'd finished up their shopping and were now just walking around, enjoying the weather.

"You know," Gohan said, licking his cone, "this isn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"What do you mean?" asked Videl around the cone.

He flushed a bit. "Er, living with you. I . . . like spending time with you."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Who would've guessed?" she murmured. "Say, how about we visit Chichi and Goten? I'm sure they'd like that."

"Good idea."

They finished their cones, then headed back to Hercule mansion, where they dropped of their purchases and took off in Videl's copter. Within fifteen minutes, they were at Gohan's house.

Goten came bouncing out of the dome-shaped house. "IT'S GOHAN!!!! GOHAN'S HOME!!!!" he shouted. Trunks came out of the house soon after, followed by Chichi, Bulma and, surprise, Vegeta.

Gohan tried to keep the boys from knocking him to the ground. "Hi guys. We decided to visit you guys."

Chichi and Bulma were grinning at Videl, who suddenly looked a little uncomfortable. "Why, Videl, don't you look nice?" cooed Chichi.

"She sure does!" Bulma agreed.

"Thanks," Videl murmured, her face pink.

Vegeta said nothing, just kept his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the women fawn over Videl and the two little brats throw themselves all over the older boy. "ALRIGHT!" he suddenly shouted. "Enough with the reunion! Can we please get back inside so that I can EAT?!"

Bulma frowned. "Touchy, touchy. Fine, we can go back inside."

The group went into the house and settled into the kitchen where Vegeta began to stuff his face with rice. 

"So," said Chichi, "how did the party go last night?"

Gohan stiffened, shooting Videl a glance. There was NO way that his mother could find out that he'd gotten drunk, accidental or not. It felt a little weird, having a secret that he was keeping from his mother. He felt as if she knew EVERYTHING about him, and she probably did. _Well,_ Gohan told himself, _this is for the benefit of my health._

Videl smiled at Gohan's mother. "Just fine. Went off without a hitch."

Gohan let out a sigh, which caught the attention of Vegeta. He gave Gohan a look, then continued to eat. Gohan shifted nervously. Vegeta probably suspected something was up.

"You all had a party?" asked Bulma. "How'd your Dad take it."

"He was out of town. He doesn't know about it."

Bulma chuckled. "Oh. Okay."

"Now, I don't encourage that kind of thing, Videl, but I'll make an exception for you," Chichi said. "It must be hard for you to have Hercule as your father, with him being so famous and all."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Don't be a stick in the mud, Chichi. They're teenagers. You gotta let them live and learn."

Chichi glared at her blue haired friend. "And let them make bad decisions? I don't think so."

"And let them grow up dependant on their mother all the time?" Bulma sent Gohan a significant glance. 

Gohan's mouth fell open. "I resent that!"

"Well, Bulma, when Trunks grows up to be some drugged-up hooligan," Chichi spouted out as Bulma rolled her eyes and shook her head, "don't come crying to me. Now I agree that Mirai Trunks was a very nice young man, but he didn't have the influence of a _certain somebody_ and-"

Vegeta slammed his chopsticks onto the table, surprising Bulma, Chichi and Videl, who'd been watching the two women argue in amusement. "You have gone too far, woman! I will not let you talk trash about either of my heirs, or me!"

Chichi was about to open her mouth when Gohan put his hand firmly over it, silencing her comment. Gohan laughed nervously. "Aw, Vegeta, Mom didn't mean it!"

Vegeta glared at Chichi. He'd never liked the loud mouth mate of Kakarott. The only reason he put up with her at all was because she was a friend of his mate's, although he couldn't see what they had in common, besides the fact that they were both female. If Chichi were anyone else, he would have blown her to tiny bits by now, forever silencing that big mouth of hers . . . He stalked out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

Bulma winced. "I'll go talk to him Chichi." She got up and went after him.

Chichi sighed and moved to the oven, taking out a batch of hot chocolate chip cookies. Goten and Trunks immediately began to swarm around her, begging for some. While Chichi dealt with the two children, Videl turned to Gohan.

"Who's Mirai Trunks? And why did Vegeta say he had two 'heirs'?" she asked.

Chichi, who was in the middle of handing Goten a cookie, froze. "Me and my big mouth . . ." she muttered.

"Uh . . . did Vegeta say that? I didn't hear him say that!" Gohan said quickly. He shot his mother a quick glance. "Did you hear that Mom?"

Chichi shook her head. "No, I didn't dear."

Goten was SURE he'd heard Vegeta say those things. Why were Gohan and his mother lying? He was just about to open his mouth and speak when Trunks, who'd obviously caught on, shoved several cookies into his mouth. "Shut UP, baka!" he hissed.

Videl eyed both Gohan and his mother. _Strange . . . I don't think I'm going crazy. _She dismissed it . . . for now, at least. 

Bulma came back a little while later, without Vegeta. "He's going to stay outside for a while. Honestly, Chichi, you know about his temper. Do you WANT to die?"

Chichi shrugged her shoulders. "He wouldn't kill me. He'd have Gohan to deal with."

Gohan flushed a bit, and Videl stared at Gohan. She'd fought both Vegeta and Gohan, and was now just realizing that they had slightly similar fighting styles, but Videl didn't think Gohan trained under Vegeta at all. Judging from her observations of Vegeta's actions and attitude towards the members of the Son family, it seemed as if he despised them. She vaguely wondered why. What had created the hostility towards them? 

"You know, Gohan," she said, "I just realized that I don't know much about your family. I get the impression that Vegeta doesn't like you or Chichi very much. Mind telling me why?"

"Uh . . . Vegeta was always competing against my Dad in martial arts. He's a little bitter that he never got the chance to defeat my Dad in a fight. I guess you could say that's his . . . sole purpose in life."

Trunks spoke up. "My Dad is WAY stronger than yours, Gohan!"

"No, he isn't!" Goten cried. 

"YES, he is!"

"No, he ISN'T!"

"You can't prove that!"

"Well, I'm stronger than you, so that must mean that MY Dad is stronger than yours," said Trunks, making it all sound logical.

Goten frowned I confusion. "What? That doesn't make any sense! You can't say that!"

"I can. I just did!" Trunks stuck his tongue out at Goten, then ran out of the backdoor.

"THAT'S RIGHT, TRUNKS!!! YOU RUN!! WHEN I CATCH YOU, YOU'RE EATING DIRT!!" Goten took off after the older boy, shouting and waving his arms the whole way.

Videl laughed. "Adorable kids you've got there," she muttered. 

*~*

Vegeta was leaning against the Son home with his eyes closed and his arms folded over his chest when Videl left the house, heading for her copter. He slowly opened one eye, keeping his gaze on her while she walked. Vegeta smirked as an idea popped into his head. Kakarott's big-mouthed mate had angered him, and now he was itching for a fight, and knew where he could get some action. [A/N: NOT like that! J ]

Videl paused, feeling Vegeta's gaze on her, then turned to look at him. "What?"

He looked her over, then closed his eyes again. "Interesting outfit you've got on."

She glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Are you trying to look nice for your boyfriend?"

Videl sighed in annoyance. "Gohan IS NOT by boyfriend! And why don't you get a life."

Vegeta pushed himself away from the wall, opened his eyes and walked over to her. "Is that all you've got to say? I expected something better, all though I don't know why . . ."

"So you want to fight, huh?"

A sly grin slid onto Vegeta's face. He lowered himself into a fighting position. "Thought you'd never ask."

Meanwhile, Gohan was still sitting in the kitchen, listening to his mother and Bulma chat away. He stifled a yawn, then sank into his chair. What was taking Videl so long? She'd gone to get something from her copter, but hadn't said what.

"I could give you some cooking tips," his mother was saying to Bulma. "Then, if Vegeta's belly is filled with nice, warm food, maybe he won't be so irritable."

"Maybe the _damn_ man should get off his _damn_ ass and cook his own _damn_ food," Bulma replied sweetly.

"You're his wife!" Chichi exclaimed. "While I agree that he IS lazy, you're supposed to do all of the cooking!"

"WHERE have you been living? Under a ROCK?" Bulma's hand flew to her chest. "Oh, my mistake, you've been living in the **backwoods**!"

"HEY!" shouted Chichi.

Bulma shook her head. "In these modern times, Chichi, most women are not housewives. They are business women and-"

"TAKE THAT!!!!!" came from outside, stopping their debate.

Gohan sat up in his chair. "That sounded like Videl . . ."

"Stay STILL, you big foreheaded jerk!!!!!"

Okay, THAT was definitely Videl. Then there was "ALRIGHT, KICK BUTT!!!" and "GO VIDEL!!!" from smaller voices. THAT had to be Trunks and Goten.

Gohan stood up and raced outside, followed by Chichi and Bulma. Chichi screamed when she caught sight of Vegeta aiming a punch right for Videl's stomach as Goten and Trunks jumped up and down, cheering them on.

Gohan caught his mother as she nearly fainted from shock. Videl neatly dodged the attack and dished out one of her own. "It's alright, Mom. Videl can handle it." _I think . . ._

Vegeta decided to end the fight and punched Videl hard, causing her to hit the ground. Chichi cried out and rushed over to the younger girl. "Oh, are you alright?!" she shrieked.

To her surprise, Videl smiled. "I'm just fine. Don't worry about me."

Chichi turned to Vegeta. "What were you thinking? A grown man fighting a GIRL, for goodness sakes! I-"

"Let's GO, woman!" growled Vegeta, glaring down at Chichi. "I can't take it anymore!"

Bulma sighed. "Fine. We'll be going now, Chichi. Nice seeing you guys." She collected Trunks and hopped in her capsule jet and took off.

Gohan helped Videl off of the ground. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

Videl nodded. "I'm just fine. Man, he gets on my nerves!"

"What did he say?" Chichi wondered.

The younger girl flushed a tiny bit, remembering his words. "Nothing important. Don't worry about it."

Chichi rolled her eyes. "You're right. Nothing important comes out of that man's mouth. Now, what exactly did you need to get out of your copter."

"OH! Something for Goten I bought today at the toy store." Videl hopped into the copter, then emerged with a grey plastic bag.

Gohan remembered going in the store, but he hadn't seen what Videl bought. He vaguely wondered what she could've bought for Goten.

Goten rushed over to them and took the plastic bag from Videl. He took a box out of the bag, then gasped. "WOW!! A Videl action figure with a jet copter! MAN, this is COOL!!" He rushed back into the house to play with it.

Chichi smiled. "You didn't have to buy Goten anything."

"It was nothing."

They went back inside and Chichi asked a ton of questions about what had happened at the mansion so far. She was also curious about Videl's house, like just how big it was, how many maids and butlers she had and stuff like that.

About an hour later, Chichi frowned. "You know, Goten's been way too quiet in his room. Can you guys go check on him?"

"Sure thing." Gohan and Videl stood up and went into Goten's room.

Goten had set up a miniature city, build from blocks and wooden bricks. There were toy cars in the 'streets' and other action figures all over the place. Goten had one block building surrounded by cop cars, and there was a mean looking action figure on top of the building.

"I'm gonna blow you all up! Hahahahaha!" cried Goten, pretending to be the mean looking figure on the building.

In his right hand he held Videl's action figure. "I'm gonna stop you!" wailed Gohan in a high pitch voice.

Gohan almost laughed then, but hid it. He wanted to see what else his brother would cook up.

The Videl action figure began to beat up the bad man. But suddenly, the bad guy began to take the advantage. He knocked Videl to the ground.

Then, out of nowhere, a Saiyaman action figure flew into the scene. "STOP! I am . . . the GREAT SAIYAMAN and you, dude, are in a ton of trouble!!" Goten exclaimed in a deep voice. He proceeded to beat up the bad action figure with Saiyaman. When the bad guy was finally defeated, Goten tossed him in a square box labeled JAIL with slightly crooked letters.

"Oh, Saiyaman," the Videl action figure was cooing in a slightly breathless voice. "You saved me again!"

"All in a days work, Miss Videl."

Then, Goten brought the two figures together, and they began to kiss.

Gohan almost fell over from shock. Videl's face turned bright red and laughter sounded from behind them. Goten looked up. "Hi guys! Did you come to play?"

Chichi stepped into the room, forcing back her laughter. Both Gohan and Videl were looking embarrassed, staring at the floor. 

"Uh . . . actually, Videl and I came to say bye. We . . . have a lot of homework to do and we should be getting back. Right, Videl?" he sent her a stressed look.

"Um, that's right! But we had a good time visiting, right?"

Goten frowned. "You'll . . . come again?"

Gohan gave his little brother a hug. "Of course. I'll call too."

Gohan and Videl then left the Son home and got into the copter. "That was interesting," Videl muttered as she took off.

"You got that right."

*~*
    
    Hours later, Gohan and Videl were sitting in the pool house, finishing up their homework. The sun had set about an hour ago, and darkness was settling around them.

The two had decided to do their work in the pool house since the maids and butlers were cleaning the whole house up, making sure that there wasn't any evidence that Videl's party had existed the night before.

Videl closed her math book with a sigh. "Done! Finally!"

Gohan shut his too and grinned. "Me too. You know, all of this work has made me hungry. How about I cook something?"

Videl raised an eyebrow. "You cook?"

"I learned a little from my Mom. I make some mean spaghetti. You want some?"

"Sounds good."

As Gohan moved towards the kitchen, Videl stood up from the couch and stretched. "I think I'm going out for a swim, okay?"

"Sure. I'll call when the foods ready."

Videl went into the bathroom where she kept a spare bathing suit. She quickly changed, grabbed a towel to wrap around her waist, and went outside. Once Videl arrived at the poolside, she tossed the towel aside, then sat on the edge of the pool and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Videl slid into the cool water with a sigh and began to do some laps.

Inside, Gohan turned on the television, changing it to the news channel. He turned it up quiet loud so that he could hear from inside the kitchen.

Fifteen minutes later, Videl rested her arms on the edge of the pool. She closed her eyes. Videl stayed like that for a while, enjoying the cool night air and the feel of the water against her bare skin.

Suddenly Videl felt someone's hands in her hair. Her eyes flew open. She gasped. A big man with eyes and hair like midnight was kneeling in front of her with his hands roughly entwined in her hair. Before Videl could scream, he slapped a piece of tape across her mouth. The man grinned down at her and dunked her head under the water.

__

Don't panic! DON'T panic!

Videl couldn't breath. Her lungs felt as if they were on fire. She needed air. Videl clawed at the man's wrists with her fingernails. She was pulled back up to the surface. Videl took a deep breath.

"Fiery little thing aren't you? Too bad I have to kill you." He dunked her back under the water, holding her there.

She held her breath for as long as she could until the felt the burning sensation in her chest again. _I'm going to die . . . Please, Kami, I don't want to die!_

She felt herself slipping away. This was the end. Before she blanked out, she prayed one last time, prayed for someone to come and save her. 

__

Gohan . . .

Inside the kitchen, Gohan was sipping some sauce from a wooden spoon when a wave of cold air washed over his body. The spoon slipped from his hands and fell to the floor. Something was wrong. 

"Videl . . ." he muttered. Gohan quickly ran out of the pool house, his heart momentarily stopping when he caught sight of some man bent over the pool, holding Videl under the water. "LET HER GO, BASTARD!!!" he cried.

The man let go of Videl's hair and whirled around. _Damn . . . this kid is strong! His ki level is skyrocketing! I guess this is where I make my exit! _The man flew off into the air.

Gohan didn't go after him, but rushed up to the side of the pool and gently pulled Videl out. HE cradled her wet body to his chest and searched for any sign of breathing. 

There was nothing. She wasn't breathing.

Gohan muttered a cures, then placed her on the ground. He began to perform mouth to mouth, silently thanking the fact that he'd paid attention in health class. 

When he came back up to check for Videl's breathing, her chest was still. "Breath, damn it, breath!" Gohan resumed mouth to mouth.

Suddenly Videl gasped for breath, struggling to sit up. Gohan helped her up and patted her back as she coughed up water.

Gohan swept her into his arms and carried her back into the pool house, lying her on the couch. He moved to the phone and dialed for an ambulance. Once he got off the phone, he knelt down beside Videl. "Are you alright?"

Her eyes were tightly shut, and Gohan suspected that the wetness on her cheeks was not all from the pool. "I . . . I thought I was going to . . .d-die."

Gohan stroked her hair. "You're alright now. I've got you."

She sighed and opened her eyes. "Where . . . what happened to the guy?"

"He . . . flew off."

"Flew?"

Gohan nodded.

"But . . . I can't understand why someone would want to . . . never mind. All those crooks I put in jail . . . I'm sure one of them would've liked to do me in."

Gohan said nothing. He took her hand and squeezed it.

A few minutes later, paramedics arrived and took Videl away. They wouldn't let Gohan ride in the back of the ambulance, but a police officer offered to give him a ride over to Satan General Hospital for saving Videl's life.

The press had gotten word of the incident and, by the time Gohan arrived, the place was crawling with reporters and cameras. Gohan was taken up to ICU, where they were keeping Videl. When he asked Videl's doctor why she'd been placed in ICU, he said that reporters weren't allowed in ICU and it was the safest place to keep her.

Gohan was allowed to stay overnight in Videl's room, but only, as he had been reminded several times, because he'd rescued Videl.

When Gohan entered the room, Videl was already asleep. He sat in a huge armchair next to her bed and watched her as she took deep breaths in and out.

Gohan didn't think that it was some criminal out for revenge going after Videl's life. If this guy could fly, then chances were that he was strong enough to defeat Videl in a fight.

But what would a guy like that want with Videl? It wasn't as if she could pose a threat to him.

It just didn't add up.

Gohan sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back in the chair. He drifted off into a restless sleep, his dreams laced with worry for Videl.

*~*

Chichi was placing her last plate in the cabinet overhead when the phone rang. She picked it up. "Hello?"

"Chichi! Have you seen the news?!" Bulma exclaimed.

"What? What happened?" she asked.

"Hurry and change it to a news station!"

Chichi ordered Goten to change the station. When he reluctantly did so, she almost dropped the phone when she read the words at the bottom of the screen. " 'Murder attempt on Satan Videl' ?! What in the world is going on?!"

"Apparently, some guy tried to drown Videl in her pool a few hours ago."

"Is she okay?!"

"The police haven't released anything about her condition. They won't even tell the public if she's dead or alive!"

Chichi shook her head. "If she was dead . . . then we'd know. Gohan would've gone wild by now, I'm sure."

Bulma sighed. "I guess you're right. I just hope she's okay."

"Me too, Bulma. Me too." [1]

Author's Notes: Hmm . . . Videl's on an emotional roller coaster and there's some psycho nut after her. Haha!

[1] Okay, so this has nothing to do with the dialogue above, but I'm thinking about changing my title to 'Ai to Junsui no Chikara' with this part called Secrets. What do you think? By the way, that means love and pure power in Japanese. It would have been love and pure _energy_, but the Japanese word for energy wasn't very pretty.

****

ADVERTISING: This story is one from Harry Potter. It's called 'Civil War' by Sushi. Beware, this is SLASH (male/male relationship) with Harry/Snape and rated NC-17. There are two other parts that go with it and you can find them on Sushi's profile page. They're all really good.

__

NEXT CHAPTER: Hercule returns to Satan City once he hears about the attempt on Videl's life. When he gets back, he makes some hasty accusations that send Videl off the edge. AND, another attempt on Videl is made. Will this one succeed?


	14. I Warmth and Security

Author's Note: ONE MORE CHAPTER in the first part of the story is over!! Yipee! I can't wait for the second part. Also, I WILL be changing the title to this story, but keeping this part called 'Secrets'.

I own nothing, except for MY version of Angela, Vile and any other guys I decide to make up and stick into this story, which, I will remind you, is being written for the heck of it. 

Part I.

*~* Chapter Fourteen *~*

Warmth and Security

The next morning, Chichi dragged Goten out of bed, hastily dressed him and shoved him outside. She hopped into the jet car she'd borrowed from Bulma and sped off towards Satan City.

A drowsy Goten groaned. "Aww, Ma, I didn't even get to eat!"

"How can you think of eating at a time like this, Son Goten?!" snapped Chichi. "Your future sister-in-law is in the hospital, and probably on her death bed and all you can think about is FOOD?!!"

Goten wisely kept his mouth shut for the rest of the trip. He was thankful, after a few minutes of riding in the back seat of the jet car with his face pressed against the window, that he hadn't gotten to eat. His mom's wild driving was making him queasy. Did she even have a license? He didn't think so.

Chichi speed throughout Satan City and pulled into the parking lot of Satan General Hospital. She dragged Goten out of the car, marched past the tons and tons of reporters and right up to the front desk of the hospital. She slammed her hand on the desk, making everyone in the lobby jump.

"I need to see Satan Videl," she demanded.

"I-I'm sorry, ma'am, but only family members are allowed. Unless you have some proof that you're-"

Chichi leaned over the desk and glared at the young lady. "Listen here, missy! I just drove over FIVE HUNDRED-MILES to see how Videl is doing and I won't be let down! Now either you tell me where she is, or I'll FORCE it out of you!!"

The lady's eyes widened. "SECURITY!!!!!!!!!!! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Four guards came rushing into the lobby, a flood of reporters coming with them, anxious to see the commotion.

Goten grinned. "Cool! Mom's gonna get arrested!!"

Chichi sent Goten a heated glare. "I will not!"

One of the cops scooted over to Chichi cautiously. "Now, lady, we realize that everyone's upset about Miss Videl, but-"

"Don't give me that! My Gohan is supposed to MARRY her!! He can't do that if she's DEAD, now can he?!"

The cop looked startled. "Gohan? You . . . you're his mother?"

"Damn right I am! I demand to be let up to Videl's room immediately!"

The guy laughed. "Why didn't you say so before? Of course you can go up. After all, your son did save Videl's life."

Chichi took a deep breath. "That's what I thought."

The cop lead Chichi up to Videl's room. Chichi and Goten entered. Gohan's mother sighed romantically when she caught sight of Gohan sleeping in a chair next to Videl's bed, his hands gently clutching hers.

Goten took the honors of waking Gohan up. He pounced on his older brother's stomach, laughing as his eyes flew open.

"What the . . . Goten? What are you doing here?" muttered Gohan, wiping the sleep from his eyes with a lazy yawn.

He giggled. "Mama brought me here! You shuda seen it, Gohan! Ma almost got arrested!!"

Gohan sent Chichi a shocked look. "What?"

Chichi just shrugged her shoulders. "Those people wouldn't let me see Videl! I was worried about both of you."

Gohan looked over at Videl, then slipped his hand out of hers. How had it gotten there? He couldn't remember. "Videl's doing just fine. She's a fighter . . ."

Chichi grinned. Gohan was gazing down at Videl with passion in his eyes, whether he knew it or not. _He likes her! I KNEW it! _"What happened, Gohan? I mean, I watched the news, but . . ."

Gohan told his mother the story. "She . . . Videl . . ." Gohan paused, his voice cracking. "Videl almost died, Mom. She . . . she wasn't breathing for a while . . . I thought . . . I thought that it would be just like what happened with Dad. That I could've done SOMETHING to save her, but failed . . ."

Chichi frowned. "It's okay, Gohan. The important thing is that she's alive and well. She's going to need your support, Gohan."

He just nodded.

Suddenly Goten's stomach grumbled loudly. He flushed. "Ma didn't feed me this morning, Gohan! Can you believe it?!"

Chichi rolled her eyes. "Come on, Goten, let's go down to the cafeteria and bring up some food."

"YAY!" Goten exclaimed and followed his mother out of the room.

Once they were gone, Gohan sighed and turned back to look at Videl's sleeping form. She looked so peaceful, sleeping there. He wanted to touch her, to stroke her hair. Gohan then chuckled. _Yeah, and if she found out that I'd touched her, I'm sure she'd kill me._

****

Live a little. Go on, touch her. Besides, she's asleep and she'll never know . . .

Why do I want to touch her? To make sure she's still there? Gosh . . . I came SO close to loosing her last night . . . It's hard to believe. We haven't even been friends that long . . . and already she's grown on me . . .

****

Stop talking to yourself and touch her! Look, her hair . . . so soft . . . her skin . . . like silk . . .

Gohan tired to control himself as he reached out to stroke Videl's soft cheek. He yanked it back when she shifted in the bed, sighing softly.

"She's like an angel," he muttered. "Oh, man, what's wrong with me? Videl's my friend . . ."

**__**

And all of the best couples start out as friends.

Says who?

****

Never mind that! You're beginning to like her.

Yeah, she's nice. For a girl, that is.

****

NOT THAT WAY! As in LIKE LIKE.

Gohan shook his head. No way! Eve if he did like her that way, Videl's probably would be totally disgusted. No, he didn't think she would fall for him. It was just too unlikely.

But still, Gohan could not suppress the urge to reach out and stroke her hair. He slowly extended his arm and placed his hand gently on the top of Videl's head. He gently ran his hands through her soft locks, a tiny smile appearing on his face.

Suddenly, Videl yawned and opened her eyes.

Gohan flushed and pulled his arm away as quickly as he could. "Er . . . good morning Videl!"

She smiled at him, then struggled to sit up in the bed. "It will be . . . once I . . ."

Gohan placed a supportive hand on her back, propped up some pillows and then placed his other hand on her chest. He flushed when his arm brushed one of Videl's breasts, but kept his hand there and gently pushed her back against the pillows.

Chichi suddenly entered the room, raising her eyebrows when she saw where Gohan's hands were. "Ahem. Are we . . . interrupting something?" she muttered in amusement as Gohan got even redder and Videl turned pink.

Gohan leapt back about a foot. "No! No! In fact, Videl just woke up and I'm _sure_ she's hungry."

"I hope she is, because we've got a whole bunch! Okay boy, bring it in!"

Videl watched in awe as several men marched into the room with plate full of hot food. Others brought in tables, chair and drinks. When they were done, Chichi thanked the men and began to dish out the food.

"How did you pay for all of that?" asked Gohan.

"I didn't," his mother chirped happily. "Once the cafeteria people heard I was the mother of Son Gohan, the by who saved Videl's life, they gave it to me all for free! Isn't that great?!"

Goten nodded, stuffing food into his mouth. "WOW, THIS IS GREAT!! I wish I were in the hospital so that I could have all this good food!"

Gohan ignored his own demanding stomach and turned to Videl. "You need some help eating?"

Videl smiled at him and rolled her eyes. "I'm not a baby. I can feed myself."

He flushed. "Sorry."

About thirty minutes into their meal, the door suddenly flew open. Everyone turned their gaze towards the door as an anxious looking Hercule stepped into the room. The huge man caught sight of the Son family and glared at them.

"Who are all of you people?! Why are you bothering my daughter?!" he roared.

Videl winced. "Jeez, Dad! Relax! This is Gohan's mother and his little brother and they were kind enough to bring me breakfast."

Hercule rushed past Goten and Chichi and almost shoved Gohan out of his chair. He took Videl's hand and squeezed hard. "Oh, sweet-pea, the moment I heard what had happened, I rushed right back home! Are you okay? Who did this to you?"

"I'm FINE, and I don't know who did it," she muttered.

"Did you get a look at his face?"

"NO! It was dark outside. Now can I PLEASE-"

"Surely you say SOMETHING that would distinguish him from someone else!" cried Hercule frantically.

Chichi just shook her head. _That man is annoying. No wonder Videl doesn't like him._

Gohan spoke up. "Er . . . this might help! The guy flew away!"

Chichi and Goten were surprised when they heard that. FLEW? Flying wasn't something that just _anyone _could do.

Hercule thought for a second. [A/N: Yes, only a second. His brain, as small as it is, cannot handle extensive thought. Did you think otherwise?] "HA! If he flew, then he HAS to be that Saiya-jerk!"

"It's Saiya_man_," Videl growled. "And, I don't think that he would do anything like try to kill me. That's just ridiculous!"

Her father didn't seem to agree. "See, Videl, this Saiyaman character is nothing but trouble! I mean, it's like he practically stalks you anyway."

"WHERE are you going with this?! He does NOT stalk me!"

"Then explain how he shows up where ever you are! If you're at City Hall, then he's there a few minutes later! And maybe he doesn't want another crime fighter competing against him."

Videl sighed in frustration. "Do you even HEAR how juvenile that sounds?"

Goten was tiered of hearing them talk trash about his brother. Why didn't Gohan defend himself? "Saiyaman wouldn't do anything to Videl! They're friends! They sell their action figures in sets at the toy stores!"

Hercule looked the little boy over. The kid looked familiar. His hair . . . those clothes . . . WHERE had he seen them before? "Aw, what do you know, kid? You're just a little brat!"

Chichi leapt up. "You've gone TOO far! Who gave you the right to call my son a BRAT?!"

Gohan raised an eyebrow. His mom was on fire today.

"I am the man who defeated Cell. I can say whatever I want! And just WHO are YOU?"

Chichi was mad. VERY mad. "Ohhhhh, you . . . You'll never know how great this family is, you jerk! If you'd stop _lying_ to yourself and everyone else, then maybe you'd-"

"That's enough, Mom," said Gohan, finally speaking up. Knowing his mom, she would've probably kept going until she revealed BOTH of his secrets. "No need to fight over any of this."

Goten grinned. "My Ma could beat Mr. Hercule any day!" he cried.

Before Hercule could protest, Videl spoke. "Why don't you make yourself useful, Dad, and go see if the cops have any leads yet."

Hercule reluctantly left, sending glares at Goten, Gohan and a fierce one at Chichi. "Sorry about that," muttered Videl. "He likes to PRETEND that he cares."

Gohan frowned. She didn't need this, not after what had just happened "Don't say that. I think he cares. He . . . just doesn't show it very well, you know?"

"If you say so." Videl, personally, didn't believe any of it. But she didn't feel like hearing her father's big mouth anymore. "Hey, why don't we turn on the news?" she suggested. Videl was a little curious about the people's reactions. No doubt that the news had spread throughout the world by now.

When Gohan turned on the televisions, he was surprised to see Hercule standing at a podium that had been hastily erected outside of the hospital. Cameras were flashing and reporters were sticking their microphones in his direction.

The crowd quieted down as Hercule loudly cleared his throat. Everyone in Videl's hospital room had their eyes trained on the tv, curious as to what Hercule was going to say.

"I'd like to thank everyone who's expressed their concerns about my daughter," said Hercule, his face very straight. "I'd just like to announce that she's doing well and is on the road to recovery."

Several reporters began to shout out their questions, and Hercule pointed to a big man in the front. "Do you have any clues as to who attacked Videl? Have the police uncovered any information?"

Hercule seemed to fidget on the stand. _The public wants an answer . . . What now? Tell them I have no clue? _"Er . . . I have just recently made an important discovery! I suspect that Saiyaman, this city's so-called superhero, of trying to murder my daughter!"

The reporters went wild with the information. It was common knowledge that Saiyaman and Videl fought crime side by side.

Gohan nearly fell out of his chair in shock. _WHAT?!! This is just great! He's gone to the press with his crazy idea!!_

"What makes you think this?!" shouted a reporter.

"Well, when I was told that the man who tried to kill Videl could FLY, I logically made the conclusion," he said, looking very proud of himself. "After all, we all know that this Saiyaman character can fly! But, what ELSE do we know about him? Nothing! The man is afraid to reveal his identity to the public- it sounds like he's hiding something!"

Videl groaned. Great. Her father was starting and anti-Saiyaman campaign, using her near death experience to launch it.

"I'm gonna find this clown!" her father exclaimed. "And when I do, he'll pay for hurting this city's beloved daughter!"

The reporters and other on-lookers began to clap and cheer.

Videl turned off the television and tossed the remote at the end of her bed. "This is awful," she muttered. "There's got to be _something_ I can do to fix this."

Chichi stood up and began to gather up their trash. "Don't worry about it, dear." She sent Gohan a look. "I'm sure Saiyaman will be just fine."

*~*

Videl was finally allowed to leave the hospital a few hours after Hercule's speech. Her father went 'right to work' on discovering Saiyaman's secret identity while she and Gohan returned to the mansion. Once they were there, Videl was nearly ambushed by a swarm of worried maids and butlers. After assuring everyone that she was just fine, Videl made it up to her room, where Gohan insisted on putting her to bed.

She argued with him for a while, then reluctantly climbed under her blankets. "I'll rest for a while, but I refuse to spend my whole day in bed!"

Gohan sat at the foot of the bed and turned on the television, steering away from the news channels. Videl was obviously upset at her father for accusing Saiyaman of her attempted murder without any hard core evidence, and he didn't want her to be reminded of it. "I guess if you're feeling better later, then you can do whatever you want. Bu I almost lost you last night, Videl, and I don't want it to happen again. No doubt this guy is going to try again."

Videl blushed a bit at his words. She turned her attention to the tv, trying to pay attention to whatever it was that was on.

A few minutes later, Gohan muttered, "I wonder if Erasa will bring us the homework we missed."

Videl had forgotten that it was a school day. She groaned. "Come on, Gohan! I'm sure we'll be excused from any assignments."

"I don't know . . . I don't want to fall behind . . ."

She snickered, then grinned. "You? Mr. Straight A's? Never!"

Just then there was a knock at the door, then Sharpner and Erasa entered. They both looked relieved to see that Videl was okay.

Erasa rushed over to Videl's bedside. "Oh, I was so worried when I heard what happened! Everyone was shocked! I mean, they even cancelled school today!"

Videl sent Gohan a look. "That's good. Gohan here was worried about missing his work."

"Well, I think we should all thank Gohan," suggested Erasa. "After all, he saved your life." She nudged Sharpner in the ribs. "Go on! Thank him."

Sharpner just stared at Gohan. He was a little jealous that Gohan had been there in Videl's time of need and not him. But, if Gohan hadn't been there, Videl would've died . . . and there was no way he wanted that to happen. "Thanks, I guess."

Gohan gapped at the blond boy. He'd actually THANKED him? _You're forgetting, Gohan, that he's got some strong feelings for Videl. Of course he'd be happy that she's still alive. _"Uh . . . no problem. Videl's my friend too, and I was happy that I was able to save her."

For about an hour, the group sat around chatting until Gohan let out a huge yawn. Everyone stared at him and he turned pink.

"He, he, sorry! I . . . didn't get much sleep last night," he mumbled.

Erasa looked a little sorry for him. "Oh, you poor thing! I bet you stayed up all night by Videl's side. Why don't you go take a nice long nap? Sharpner and I will watch after Videl."

He looked a little hesitant. It didn't seem likely that Videl's attacker would show up around the mansion with the tightened security. "Okay. Just . . . make sure she gets her rest."

Erasa began to push him out of the room. "We will! Now you go get yours."

"And make sure she doesn't try to sneak off . . . feed her something light if she gets hungry . . . keep her comfortable . . ." Gohan rambled on.

Erasa rolled her eyes and gave him one last out into the hall, then shut the door in his face. _Man, does he have it BAD!_

Gohan stared worriedly at the closed door. "I . . . _suppose_ she'll be fine for a few hours. Besides," he yawned again, "I'm beat!"

He entered his own room and locked the door behind him, falling onto his bed in exhaustion. As soon as he snuggled underneath his blankets, he heard the faint wails of sirens sounding somewhere in the city. _Sounds like trouble . . . get up, Gohan! Saiyaman's needed._

Gohan warily got up and pushed the button on his watch, then flew out of the window, hoping no one saw him. He followed at sirens to the bank and landed on the steps outside. Surprisingly, the cops let him walk right into the building without saying a word to him. There was no 'There's Saiyaman' or anything like that.

Gohan dismissed it, thinking it was because of Hercule's earlier speech. He walked into the lobby, which was strangely empty, except for a man with a ski mask over his face and a big bag full of what Gohan suspected was money thrown over his shoulder.

"Hold it right there!" shouted Gohan.

The man in the mask sneered at him, then drew out a gun. Normally, this would not have worried Gohan, but when about fifty police officers came from behind desks and under tables, all with their guns trained on him, a sweat drop rolled down the back of his head.

Hercule came from no where and began to laugh loudly. "Take a step, clown, and you're Swiss cheese!"

Gohan looked around at the police officers, then at the crook. He'd gathered that the 'thief' was really a cop and that he'd been _royally_ set up. "Now, what's this all about?"

"Don't give me that crap! I know you tried to kill my daughter, and you're going down!"

Gohan took a step closer to the cops. "I-"

"TAKE ANOTHER STEP AND THEY'LL SHOOT!!!!!" cried Hercule, looking around a little nervously.

Gohan grinned. "Are you scared? Of ME?" Then he took another step forward.

"SHOOT!!!! SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT!!!!!!!!!" Hercule exclaimed.

All of the cops fired their guns without a moment's hesitation. Just before any bullets hit him, Gohan fazed out, then fazed back in front of Hercule. HE took the man by his collar.

The police officers turned towards Hercule, their guns trained on Saiyaman's back. "Er . . . should we shoot, sir?" asked one cop.

"NO NO NO!!!!!" Hercule began to wave his arms. "Hold your fire!"

"I'm not going to hurt you," said Gohan calmly. "But I'd just like to tell you that your stupid traps won't work. Nothing YOU can think up will stop me."

Fear flashed through Hercule's eyes as Gohan set him back on his feet. "Stop you from doing what?" With his left hand, he motioned for a cop to mover forward. "Killing my sweet pea?"

"We're on the same side here, whether you know it or not. I want to find out who tried to kill Videl as much as-"

BANG!!

Gohan gasped as he felt hot metal tear through his side. He vaguely acknowledged the fact that he'd been shot, obviously by an idiot with poor aim. His hand drifted down to his right side, where he found his skin sticky with blood. "Dirty," he muttered. "Very dirty." Gohan gave Hercule one good punch in the face and fazed out.

This time he appeared on Dende's Lookout, where Piccolo was busy meditating. The minute Gohan arrived, Piccolo opened on eye and sighed. "What happened this time?"

"An . . . accident at a bank. I need a senzu bean."

Piccolo stood up and tried to ignore Gohan's ridiculous costume. He called for Dende, who appeared almost instantly.

"Gohan! Man, what happened to YOU?" he asked, staring at Gohan's hand covered in blood.

"I was shot," was all he said.

Dende went up his friend and placed a hand over Gohan's wound, feeding his energy into Gohan's body, allowing him to heal.

Gohan stared down at his newly healed skin. "Gee, thanks. Say . . . before I go, maybe I should tell you what's been going on lately." He told his friends about the man who tried to kill Videl.

Piccolo snickered. "Well, Gohan, you must be rusty if you got shot."

He flushed a bit. "Uh . . . I was preoccupied?"

Piccolo shook his head, then looked a little worried. "Be careful, Gohan. I'm not worried about Hercule or what he may try, but all of this sudden activity is strange. After seven long years of peace . . ."

"I'll be just fine, Piccolo. Thanks, Dende. I should be going . . . gotta make sure Videl's alright." Gohan fazed out.

The older Namekian sighed warily. "Looks like I better start training harder."

*~*

__

The Next Day . . .

"I _am_ going to school toady, Gohan," hissed Videl, "and there's nothing you can do about it!"

Gohan sighed and placed a hand on his waist. He and Videl had been arguing for the past thirty minutes on whether or not she was going to school. Gohan, of course, didn't think she should be up and about, but Videl instead that she was feeling well enough to go to school. "But Videl-"

"GOHAN, I know you're worried, but I'm FINE! I refuse to spend another day in bed!" Videl began to dig around for some clothes to wear.

He frowned, but didn't know what to do. She was _so_ determined . . . Gohan sighed again, this time more stressed. "OKAY, you can go. But no fighting crime, and if you start to feel tired, I'm going to take you straight home, go it?"

She rolled her eyes. "I get it. Now get out so I can get dressed."

Gohan reluctantly left the room and got his things, then waited outside of her door. A few minutes, it opened and Videl stepped out. She crossed her arms over her chest and said, "Let's go."

Once Videl and Gohan made it to the school, Gohan had to keep the kids from ambushing Videl as they asked her a ton of questions. They managed to make it up to their classroom just before the bell rang.

The school day passed by rather quickly. During their last bell, their teacher approached Videl and Gohan and told them to step out into the hallway.

"Now," said their teacher once they were in the hall, "I doubt that either of you two remember, with what's been going on, but I'd just like to remind you that you two have clean up duty today after school." [A/N: This may need some explanation. In the Japanese school system, kids are assigned weeks in which they must stay after school and clean up their classroom (they stay in _one_ classroom the whole day and the teachers come to _them_) or they clean the hallways. This way, they have little use for janitors. J ]

"If you're not up to it, Videl, then you don't have to do it," continued their sensei.

Videl shook her head. "I'm fine. I'll do it."

Gohan was concerned. "Are you sure? I mean-"

"YES, I'm SURE. Don't worry so much Gohan."

They went back into the classroom and finished their work. When the bell rang, they waited for everyone to file out, then set to straightening up.

Halfway into their job, Gohan felt a familiar ki heading their way. _Who . . . who could it be? _He froze, then turned his gaze to window. His eyes widened.

Gohan recognized the ki now. It was the guy from two nights before, the one who'd tried to kill Videl, and he was flying straight towards them with an evil grin on his face. The man raised his hand and a ball of energy began to form.

"Holy . . ." Gohan grabbed Videl's arm and pulled her out of the classroom and into the hallway just as the man's ki blast enveloped the room.

Videl stared in horror as the dust and smoke cleared the air. Where their class used to be was a gaping hole, and in the hall in front of them was her attacker.

"Get out of here," muttered Gohan.

"WHAT?! I can't leave you here with this guy! Did you see what he just did?!" shrieked Videl.

"I'll be fine." Gohan gave her a little shove. "Get out of the school as fast as you can, okay?"

"But-"

He pushed her again, harder this time. "GO! NOW!!"

__

This is just like that time at the bank. Gohan . . . I hope you come okay out of this one too. Videl bit her lip bottom, then ran away.

The man snorted. "Trying to save your little girlfriend, kid? Don't mess with me, I've got a job to do."

Gohan pressed the button on his watch and turned into Saiyaman. "What's your name?"

"Vile. What's it to you?"

"Well, Vile," sneered Gohan. "You picked the wrong boy to mess with!" With that, Gohan punched Vile hard, sending him flying through the roof. Saiyaman flew through the hole he created and joined the man in the air.

Vile growled. _Who IS this kid?! He caught me off guard with his punch . . . he's FAST!_

Gohan was worried about keeping the people on the ground safe. He attacked Videl, trying to steer him away from the school.

Vile began to tire, but noticed that his opponent didn't look the least bit winded. He had to do something and FAST if he wanted to survived. He began to catch on to Gohan's tactic. _Concerned about the building . . . or more like the people IN it, huh? _He grinned, then raised a hand, summoned a ki blast and shot it at Gohan. While he was busy dodging it, Vile shot another directly at the school.

Gohan could only watch as it hit the school. _Oh, Kami, no . . . please . . . _He gasped as the building's foundation shook, and one side of it collapsed.

Screams of horror rang out from the ground as people tried to get away from the falling debris. Gohan felt numb inside. When he whirled around to face Vile, the other man had disappeared.

Gohan refocused his attention to the building. Had Videl gotten out? Or had she stayed, because she was so stubborn?He landed in the student parking lot, behind a huge pick up truck, and changed back to Gohan.

"VIDEL!!!" he called, looking around.

People were running everywhere, looking for their friends. Others were sitting on the ground, trying to nurse their wounds. Firefighters, paramedics and police began to arrive, adding to the amount of people milling around. It was total chaos.

"VIDEL!!!!!!!!" shouted Gohan again. She HAD to be all right . . . she just HAD to be . . .

"GOHAN!!!" Videl pushed her way through the crowd and ran towards Gohan. Her face and clothes were covered in ash and soot, but she was alive. Videl threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. "I thought you were still inside . . ."

Gohan could say nothing as he hugged her back. Again, she'd come so close to dying . . . He slowly released her and stared down at her tear stained cheeks. "Are you okay? You're not hurt?"

Videl shook her head. "I'm fine. Just a little dirty." She looked back up at the school. "I just hope . . . I hope that no one was in there. Especially not someone we knew." She shivered.

Gohan closed his eyes tightly. If anyone had died in there, it would be his fault. He hadn't stopped Vile from blowing up half of the school . . . and he could have.

Videl stared up at Gohan, noticing a tear sliding from the corner of his eye. _He's shaken up. I can't blame him . . . this is all too scary and too personal. _Videl leaned back against Gohan and sighed when he wrapped his arms around her waist. Gohan provided her with warmth and security . . . and Videl felt that she would be needing a lot of that in the days to come.

Author's Notes: Yeah, okay, that sucked. I got stuck SO many times that it wasn't even funny. And sorry if that reminded anyone of 9-11, but I needed to get rid of the school.

****

ADVERTISING: I've got a Videl/Gohan fic that isn't getting enough attention! Come on, guys, 'Some Dreams do Come True' by Boombubble is awesome. Check it out. And, if you ever want something **NON-FF.NET** related, you can read _Ender's Game_ by Orson Scott Card, especially if you like sci-fi. It's the most amazing book I've read in AGES, and I read a lot of stuff. Make sure you read the companions, especially _Ender's Shadow._

__

NEXT CHAPTER: The death of an Orange Star High student just a day after the attack on the school alarms the whole city. AND . . . Hercule makes an announcement that sends Gohan up the wall, one that could decide whether Videl lives or dies. 


	15. I The Beginning of the End

Author's Note: Okay . . . the last chapter of the first part. Oh, someone said that a bullet would NEVER hit Gohan. Well . . . I don't know. Who cares?

I don't own anything from DBZ, except for a midi file of that weird opening or ending song called Head Chala or something. Hey, if anyone has an MP3 file of that they can send me, I'd really appreciate it . . .

**__**

WARNING!!!!!!!!!! There's some murder and violence ahead! I surprised even myself.

Part I.

*~* Chapter Fifteen *~*

The Beginning of the End

Gohan managed to get Videl home after the whole school incident. She was very pale and seemed to be extremely weak. He had to practically carry her up her room, where he sat her gently on the bed.

Videl's hands clutched the fabric of Gohan's shirt, forcing him to sit down next to her on the bed. She buried her face in his shirt and began to cry. Gohan could do nothing but rub her back. A few minutes later, Videl sat back and rubbed the tears from her face. "T-turn on the news. I want to see how many people . . . how many . . ."

Gohan couldn't understand why she wanted to know how many people had died when the school came down, but did as she said anyway. The news of the school was on every channel.

At the bottom of the screen lay the information that Videl desired. Ten confirmed dead and twenty more were missing.

Gohan's heart sank like lead. So many innocent people had died . . . Now it was his turn to cry, and Videl wrapped her arms around his waist.

"This is awful," she murmured. "They died . . . because . . . of that man . . . he wanted ME, not them . . . It's all my fault . . ."

Gohan shook his head furiously. "No. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine."

They sat for a while, holding each other, until Videl finally pulled away. "B-blaming ourselves won't change anything," she said. "It . . . wasn't my fault, nor was it yours. That creep . . . HE'S the one who did this!"

"I just hope no one we knew died," Gohan murmured. "Maybe you should call Sharpner and Erasa, see if they're okay."

Videl picked up the phone and dialed Erasa's number. To Videl's relief, her friend picked up the phone, but answered in a shaky voice.

"H-h-hello?"

"Erasa! It's me, Videl."

"Videl! Sharpner and I were so worried that you were still in the building when it fell! Is Gohan okay?"

"He's fine. So . . . Sharpner's not hurt?"

"No. We're both shaken up, but not physically hurt. I wonder what happened . . . I mean, on the news, they said that witnesses saw Saiyaman fighting some guy and that they were floating in the air."

Videl had almost forgotten that. She'd been watching the fight in the air, too. "The man . . . was after ME. It . . . it was the same guy who tried to drown me."

Erasa gasped. "No way! Well, then there's no way it could be Saiyaman. But I wonder . . . who could he be?"

"When I find out, I'll be sure to tell you. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Alright, Videl. Just . . . stay safe."

"I will. Bye."

When she hung up the phone, she turned to Gohan, who was staring dully at the floor. _I wonder why he thinks this is all HIS fault. _She crawled across the bed and leaned against his shoulder. "Now what? Where do we go from here?"

"I'm just as lost as you are."

After they sat that way for a while, Videl's door flew open and Hercule barged in, glaring at the way his daughter was leaning against Gohan. "WHAT is going ON here?!"

Videl scooted off the bed. "Dad . . ."

He sent Gohan a scolding glare, then pulled Videl into a tight embrace. "Oh, I was so WORRIED about you! The minuet I heard about your school, I dropped all of my work! You're not hurt, are you?"

Videl shoved him away. "I'm fine. I'd just like to rest for a while."

"Oh. Then I'll . . . leave you alone." He stared at Gohan, who stared back blankly. "Well, boy! Let's go! She needs her rest."

As Gohan began to stand, Videl pushed him back onto the bed. "He stays."

"B-but-"
    
    Videl's hands clutched the fabric of Gohan's shirt, forcing him to sit down next to her on the bed. She buried her face in his shirt and began to cry. Gohan could do nothing but rub her back. A few minutes later, Videl sat back and rubbed the tears from her face. "T-turn on the news. I want to see how many people . . . how many . . ."

Gohan sighed and stared down at Videl as she curled up on the bed. _So much for her tough girl act. She's really very fragile . . ._

Gohan was getting tired, too. He gently picked up Videl and placed her under the sheets. He joined her under them, turned off the television and fell asleep.

*~*

Several hours later, Gohan was awaken by the shrill ringing of a phone. He sat up in the bed, blinked, then stared down at Videl's still sleeping form. He picked up the phone, then mumbled, "Hello?"

"Oh, GOHAN!!! You're OKAY!!!"

"Mom . . . Yeah, I'm fine."

"I've been calling your number for AGES and no one picked up!" she nearly screamed. "Then I decided to try Videl's number. Is she alright?"

Gohan glanced down at her. "Yes, she's doing okay."

"Great, great." Chichi wanted to ask what Gohan was doing in Videl's room sounding very drowsy, but decided against it. He probably had enough on his mind. "Well . . . it's sounds as if I interrupted your sleep. So . . . I'll go now. But Gohan . . ."

"Yes, Mom?"

"PLEASE keep her safe, and you be safe too. I don't want to loose you."

"I'll be fine, and so will Videl. As long as I'm here with her, I'll do everything within my power to keep her safe."

"Okay, then. Bye."

"Bye, Mom."

Gohan hung up, then fell back onto the bed. He couldn't get back to sleep. _That was no ordinary bad guy. WHERE did he come from? And just what does he want?_

Gohan growled and climbed out of the bed, beginning to pace. His lack of answers was seriously getting on his nerves. Gohan hated being left in the dark.

__

Maybe this guy, Vile . . . maybe he has something to do with the other man I encountered, the one who stole energy. But that wouldn't explain why he was trying to KILL Videl.

Nothing added up. He was missing something . . . a vital piece of information. He couldn't tell if this new enemy was a threat, or just a joke. He snorted. _Right. NO enemy is ever a joke, no matter how weak they are. Vile meant business today, pulling that desperate stunt so that he could escape._

Gohan froze. _If there are two of them . . . there could be more. MANY more. Great, an invisible, faceless enemy. This is NOT good._

It was almost as if Videl sensed Gohan's distress, because at that moment, she woke up. She sat up in the bed and watched as Gohan paced around her room. "Stop, you're giving me a damn headache," she mumbled.

Gohan stopped in mid-pace. "Sorry. Feeling any better?"

She gave him a small smile. "Sorta. The rest helped a bit. Why are you so worried?"

"What do you mean? I'm not worried."

"YES, you are. You were pacing and you had the most serious look I've ever seen on your face. What were you thinking about?"

"You. All of . . . this."

"Unbelievable, huh?"

Gohan chuckled. "When you're Son Gohan, nothing is unbelievable."

*~*

It was two a.m. in the morning and Vile was getting restless. He was sitting in a dark alley, scowling over his last attempt on the girl's life that had failed, all because of some stupid kid . . . okay, a very strong stupid kid, but a kid nonetheless. Vile needed to relax . . . and he knew of some human pleasures that just might help.

Smokes, drugs, whatever they called them.

The downside was, they cost money. And a lot of it.

Oh, sure, he could just kill the dealers that hung out on the street corners and steal their stuff, but that would just be attracting MORE attention to himself, and would give the cops a place to start their search for him. He didn't want to have any police on his case.

Vile sneered. _If that blond bitch had just given me my money to begin with . . . maybe I should pay her a visit . . ._

He knew, just by looking at her fancy clothes, that she lived in the upscale part of Satan City, where the big mansions were. It had been a pure stroke of luck, however, that he'd seen her standing in a window, or else he would not have known which house was hers.

Vile flew up to the window, then tapped on the glass.

Angela glared at Vile, then opened her window. She was a bit startled that the man could fly, but let him in anyway. Angela was aware that she was wearing nothing but a pink towel- she'd just stepped out from a nice, hot bath, and she crossed her arms over her chest.. "What do you want?" she hissed.

"I want my payment," he demanded.

"For WHAT?! You didn't even KILL her!"

Vile growled. "It's not my fault that some damn kid keeps getting in my way! Now give me some cash, or I'll-"

"You'll WHAT?"

Vile snickered. It was obvious that this girl didn't know who she was dealing with. He was fed up with her bitchy attitude and the way she bossed him around. "I'll kill you."

Her eyes widened, then she opened her mouth to scream.

He quickly covered her mouth with his hand. He shoved her backwards, then placed a hand on her belly, shooting a ki blast directly into her.

Angela gasped, then slumped onto the floor.

Vile snarled and stepped around Angela's still body and into her room. He began to tear the place apart, searching for some Zeni. He found a hidden stash under her carpet and counted the bills. _This should hold me for a while._

Vile went out the way he came, stopping momentarily to kick at Angela's body with his foot. "Damn weak humans."

And with that, he flew off.

[A/N: Wow . . .]

*~*

**__**

Later that morning . . .

Wanting to get their minds off of what had happened to their school, later that morning Videl and Gohan met with Sharpner at a local diner, where Erasa was supposed to join them.

They'd been sitting in a booth for about thirty minutes when Videl began to worry. "I wonder what's taking her so long," muttered Videl, glancing down at her watch.

"Knowing Erasa, she probably forgot to set her clock," snickered Sharpner.

Just then, Erasa appeared in front of the booth, looking out of breath. She sat next to Sharpner and said, "I'm SOOOO sorry I'm late! But there were a TON of cops out by my house."

Gohan frowned. "Why?"

Erasa gasped. "You mean, you guys don't know? About Angela?"

Videl raised an eyebrow. "What about her?"

"She was killed last night."

Everyone at the table was stunned. Sharpner looked at Erasa suspiciously. "Really? Then why wasn't it on the news?"

"I guess the cops want to keep everything hush-hush. After all, the cop I talked to said the way she was killed was VERY strange, and unusual. He said that he'd never seen anything like it."

Gohan stiffened. "Unusual how?"

Erasa leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Well . . . they said there was a huge, _perfectly neat_ hole blown right through her stomach."

Videl winced. "Kami . . ."

"That's not all! There was NO blood." [1]

"NONE? At ALL?" questioned Sharpner. "Impossible!"

"The cops said that the her body was sorta burned, you know, where the hole was. And they said the room even smelled like burning flesh."

Videl felt as if she was going to be sick. "God, Erasa!"

"Sorry! You wanted to know the details, so I told you!"

"What else did you find out?" Gohan asked sternly.

"Oh . . . some stuff from her room was stolen. There are no fingerprints, nothing. No one saw anyone leaving the house OR coming in, so the cops suspect she LET the man in. And she was killed in the middle of the night, or early morning."

Gohan was concerned. _A perfectly neat hole burned into her stomach . . . probably delivered at close range . . . sounds like a ki blast to me. And maybe the same man after Videl killed Angela._

Videl moaned, then buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe this! I mean, I was so MEAN to her!"

Erasa reached over the table to rub Videl's arm. "Don't feel too bad, Videl. After all, she was nasty to you first."

"Yeah, but . . ."

Erasa bit her bottom lip. "I don't know if I should tell you all this . . . but . . . if it wakes you feel any better, Videl, Angela was really sick."

"Sick?"

"Yeah, as in the head. Remember last year when we were told that she transferred to a private school in another countryright after second semester? Well, she really didn't go to another country. She was admitted into Rosewood."

"Rosewood? What's that?" asked Gohan.

"A mental hospital for the rich," Erasa said. "She was . . . I don't know, stressed out about her Mom's death, AND she was totally obsessed with some guy in another school, so her Dad put her in there."

The group sat there, digesting the information. Gohan cleared his throat after a while. "I don't know about you guys . . . but suddenly, I'm not so hungry anymore."

Videl looked up at him, a tiny grin appearing on her face. "You? Not hungry? That's weird."

Gohan looked thoughtful. "It is, isn't it . . ."

As Gohan and Videl chuckled softly, Erasa and Sharpner watched in confusion. What was so funny?

*~*

Gohan and Videl returned to the mansion after wondering around the town for a few hours with Erasa and Sharpner. The minute they stepped into the house, Iria, her face pale, said, "Hercule wants to see both of you in his office. Now."

Videl frowned. Iria was almost ALWAYS smiling. She didn't like the housekeeper's look. "Okay." Videl led Gohan up to her father's office. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," muttered Hercule.

They entered and Videl closed the door behind her. "What's this all about, Dad?"

He looked up from his newspaper. "I'm concerned about everything that has been going on in the city. First your school, then this weird thing with that Angela girl . . ."

"What are you getting at?"

Hercule cleared his throat and stood up. "I'm afraid that Gohan here is going to have to go home."

Videl gasped. "What?! WHY?"

"I don't want you to be put in any unnecessary danger. I don't know much about him. My background search turned up practically empty."

Videl was furious. "You did a BACKGROUND search on Gohan?! Did it ever occur to you that you could just ASK him?!!

Hercule glared at Videl. "That's not the issue at hand. And as for him leaving, what I say goes. This is my house, and it's final!"

"You-"

Gohan quieted Videl by placing a hand on her shoulder. "Look, sir, you don't understand. You CAN'T send me away."

"Oh, yeah? Why not?"

Gohan couldn't just admit that he was the best hope for Videl, that no protection that her father could provide would keep her safe. "I care about Videl's wellbeing just as much as you do, and-"

"Really? If you did, then you would leave, just as I asked, without causing more trouble than you already have."

Gohan just stared at him for a while. Hercule began to sweat under Gohan's heated gaze. "Videl, can I have a word with you father? Alone?" he said in a VERY calm voice, his eyes never leaving Hercule.

Videl glanced up at him. "Uh . . . okay. I'll . . . just go down to your room." She hesitantly left.

"What do you want, kid?" grumbled Hercule.

Gohan stared him down for a little while longer, making the older man squirm. Then, in the blink of an eye, Gohan grabbed Hercule by the front of his shirt. "You KNOW I'm the only one that can keep Videl safe. You KNOW that this guy who's after her is WAY out of your league!" he hissed. "If you make me go, she'll die for sure!"

Hercule grabbed control of his fear and pushed it away. "Look, LID, you don't know who you're messing with! I could have you arrested, and the cops would toss away the key! I could-"

Gohan shook him a bit. "Don't be STUPID! YOU don't know who you're messing with!"

The older man snickered. "Oh, yeah? And why should I be afraid of you?"

Gohan sat him back on the floor. "PLEASE, let me stay! I-"

"GET OUT!! PACK YOUR GOD DAMN BAGS AND GET OUT!!!"

Gohan growled, then slammed his fist into the table. "FINE! I'll leave. But know this- I'll be around, whether you know it or not. I'll be watching Videl very closely." He then spun around and stalked out of the room.

"Freak," muttered Hercule, straightening out his shirt. _How dare he tell me how to take care of MY darling? Well, he's gone now._

When Gohan entered his room, Videl sat up off of the bed. "Well?"

He shook his head. "I . . . I still have to leave. I'm . . . afraid I lost my temper for a second."

Videl sighed. "It's alright. Dad wouldn't have changed his mind anyway. So . . ."

"So . . . I guess I better start packing, huh?"

Videl watched in silence as Gohan packed his things. Once he was done, she said softly, "I'll give you a ride home."

They rode out to Gohan's house almost in total silence. Needless to say, Chichi was very surprised to see Gohan, with suitcases under his arms, and Videl with a huge frown on her face standing at her door. "What happened?" she asked as they stepped into the house.

"Hercule kicked me out of his house," muttered Gohan as he stalked into his room.

Chichi turned to Videl. "Really? He really kicked Gohan out?"

Videl nodded. "dad wanted him to leave because he was afraid of all of the things that have been going on recently."

"Oh . . . I heard about that girl from your school. The one who . . . hung all over Gohan. Are you okay?"

Videl gave the older woman a smile. "Yeah, I'm just fine. Thanks for the concern."

Gohan returned to the living room. "You should get going, Videl. You need to get back to your house before it gets dark."

She nodded. "I . . . I'm going to miss having you over, Gohan. It'll be lonely without you across the hall."

He gave her a smile. "You make it sound as if we'll never see each other again."

Videl shivered a bit. _You never know . . . me might not. _She frowned. Where did that come from? She would be all right. "Well . . . I'd better be going."

Gohan watched as she headed out to her copter. As it flew off, Chichi said, "I hope she'll be okay."

Gohan hit the button on his watch. "I'm going to follow her, make sure she's okay." He took to the sky, careful to stay far enough from the copter as not to be seen, but close enough to get to her aid quickly if there was any trouble. He stayed out of sight when she landed her copter and hopped out, going into the mansion.

__

I guess she'll be okay . . . There are a ton of security on the ground. They'd report anything suspicious . . .

Gohan closed his eyes for a second, then flew off. "Stay safe, Videl."

*~*

Videl slowly made her way up to her room, forcing back tears. Gohan had not been gone that long and already she was about to cry. She slowly opened her door and flicked on the lights.

And nearly screamed.

Iria lay in her floor, blood pouring from her head and onto Videl's carpet. Videl rushed over to the unconscious woman, feeling for her pulse.

It was still there, but weak.

As she was just about to scream for help, someone placed their hand roughly over Videl's mouth and placed an arm around her neck. Videl tried to kick at her attacker, but only succeed in having the man tighten his hold on her neck.

The man turned her over and shoved her onto the floor. She stared up in horror. It was the man who'd attacked her at the school.

He grinned down at her. "Come on, darling, it's time for you and me to have some fun."

Videl began to kick at the floor, making loud thuds with her feet. Then there was a voice from the hall way- Hercule.

"Videl? You alright?"

The man growled and yanked her up off of the floor. He then turned and flew out of the window, struggling to keep Videl in his grasp.

She managed to bite his hand, and Vile cried out in shock. "Bitch!" He placed a finger to her neck, found the spot he desired and pressed hard. Videl slummed unconscious in his arms.

*~*

Gohan had just finished packing and had gone into the kitchen for a snack when the phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"G-G-Gohan? I-is that y-you?"

"Yeah, it's me , Erasa. What's wrong?"

"V-V-V-Videl . . ."

Gohan stiffened. "What about her? What happened?"

"SHE'S BEEN KIDNAPPED!!"

Author's Notes: Now Gohan knows. What will he do? Hahahahaha! I bet you guys didn't think I would kill Angela, did ya?

[1] I'm just going from the DBZ episodes where a character gets shot with a ki blast, like Mirai Trunks did with Cell, and how there was no blood- unless the dubbing people erased it, which they probably did. 

****

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__

NEXT CHAPTER: Gohan begins his search for Videl and gets the help of most of the other Z-fighters. Will he find her?


	16. II The Search for Videl

Author's Notes: What can I say? Read?

Nope, I don't own any part of DBZ, but this plot is mine. Anyone who wants to copy shall be hunted down and severely persecuted by Vegeta and Gohan. Wait a minute . . . I don't own them, do I . . .

Part II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Sixteen *~*

The Search for Videl

Gohan had just finished packing and had gone into the kitchen for a snack when the phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"G-G-Gohan? I-is that y-you?"

"Yeah, it's me, Erasa. What's wrong?"

"V-V-V-Videl . . ."

Gohan stiffened. "What about her? What happened?"

"SHE'S BEEN KIDNAPPED!!"

Gohan nearly dropped the phone. "WHAT?!" he exclaimed, his shout drawing his mother into the kitchen. "What do you mean, she's been kidnapped?!"

"Exactly what I said! Apparently, her kidnapper was waiting in her room and attacked her."

Gohan swore. If he'd stayed a little while longer, he probably could've saved Videl, stopped her from being taken. "Do the police have any leads?"

"N-no." She sniffled. "They think it was the same guy who's been after her, the same guy who b-blew up the school." Erasa began to cry. "I-I'm so worried about her, Gohan!!

"I . . . I'm sure she'll be fine, Erasa. Just . . . keep calm, okay?"

"S-sure thing, Gohan. See ya."

When Gohan hung up the phone, Chichi asked, "Who's been kidnapped?"

"Videl."

She gasped and fell into a chair at the table. "Oh, no! I hope she's okay!"

"I'm going to look for her, Mom."

Chichi could almost feel the anger and tension radiating from her oldest son. No telling what would happen if Gohan, for some reason, lost it. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to keep him at home, Chichi nodded. "Fine. Just be careful."

Before Gohan could leave the kitchen, Goten entered immediately noticing the serious looks on Gohan and Chichi's faces. "What's wrong?"

Gohan wondered if he should tell Goten what was really going on. He wasn't sure how his brother would take the news. He glanced at his mother, who was shaking her head ever so slightly.

"It would be better if he heard it from us, rather than someone else," said Gohan softly. "Gee, Goten, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but . . ."

"What? What's going on?"

"Uh . . . Videl's been kidnapped."

The room was silent for a while- until Goten digested the information and exploded. His tiny hands formed fists at his sides and, with a soft growl, his hair turned yellow and his eyes changed to blue. "WHAT ARE WE DOING STANDING AROUND?!!!! LET'S GO FIND HER!!" he exclaimed.

Gohan gapped at his younger brother. Goten had already become a Super Saiyan? At such a young, tender age? Or had the news of Videl caused him to change?

His mother, seeing the shock in Gohan's face, said, "He's been able to do that for a while now."

__

And no one told me?!

Goten pouted. "Let's GO, Gohan! We gotta find her!"

"You, mister," said Chichi to the youngest Son, "are not going anywhere but to bed!"

"Aw, Mom!"

"I don't want you to get in the way if something big happens."

Goten pouted some more, then kicked Gohan in the leg. "If you don't come back with her, it's gonna be you and me, got it?" he muttered.

Gohan chuckled and patted his brother on the head. "I'll do my best." He watched as his little brother trudged into the back of the house. "Keep an eye on him. He'll try to escape."

Chichi snickered. "He won't get far. After all, he can't fly. But Gohan . . . be careful . . . and don't stay out too late."

Gohan decided to go out as Saiyaman. He pushed the button on his watch. "I'll return in a few hours. Don't wait up."

*~*

By the time Gohan returned, it was two o'clock in the morning, and Chichi WAS waiting up for him. Or she'd tried to. When he entered the house, he noticed Chichi lying on the couch, fast asleep. He picked her up and carried her into her room, tucking her into bed.

He went into his own room and flopped down onto the bed with a sigh. Gohan was really worried about Videl now. With no sign of her ki, it would be hard to find her. She could be anywhere.

Gohan didn't get any sleep that night and, when the sun came up, he began his search again. He first flew out to Dende's Lookout, waking the guardian of the earth and Piccolo quite early.

Dende could sense Gohan's frustration and anger and asked him what was up. When Gohan told them about Videl, Piccolo immediately volunteered to help look for her.

"What does she look like?" asked the older Namek.

"Uh . . .Gee . . . I've never had to describe her before . . ."

Piccolo sighed and shook his head. "Hair color? _Eye_ color? Height?"

"Oh! Well, she's about this tall," he said, gesturing with his hands, "with thick, black hair a little longer than shoulder length, blue eyes . . . um . . . that's it, I guess."

__

Damn humans all look the same. There could be a million girls that look like that. "How about a picture?" suggested Piccolo. Maybe searching for Gohan's little girlfriend would be harder than he thought.

Gohan tilted his head to the side, then frowned. "Hey, that would be a good idea. Maybe I should've found one . . ."

Piccolo was just about to shout in frustration when Mr. Popo came up to them with a newspaper clipping. No one had any idea where he'd gotten it from, but it really didn't matter. The clipping had a photo of Videl, and that was all they needed.

Piccolo analyzed the photo. _Not bad . . . if Gohan HAS to get married, then she'd be okay. I guess. _He committed her appearance to memory, then turned to Gohan. "I'll check back with you later, Gohan. Good luck."

Gohan's next stop was Capsule Corp. where Bulma was already fussing Vegeta out for refusing to search for Videl.

"She's not MY problem," he muttered.

"Really, Vegeta, out of the GOODNESS of your heart, you . . . what am I saying? Do you have a heart?"

Vegeta growled. "Leave me alone, onna."

Gohan cleared his throat. "Um, hi?"

Bulma gasped and ran up to him, hugging him. "You poor baby! I bet you're worried out of your mind! How are you?"

"I'm doing okay, Bulma. I was just stopping by to ask for Vegeta's help, but . . ." he glanced at the arrogant prince.

"How about I go out and look? I could take a jet and-"

"I don't think so," interrupted Vegeta. "You'll be no match for a kidnapper of any kind."

"Then YOU go look for her! Or I'll go myself. I swear I will!"

"FINE!! I'll go look!" Vegeta glared at Gohan. He was just about to leave when Trunks burst into the room with a phone in his hand.

"Gohan! Is it true! Has Videl really been kidnapped?!" he shouted, looking frantic.

Bulma nodded. "She has."

Trunks dropped the phone and they could hear Goten shouting on the other end. "I'll kill whoever took her! Come on Gohan, let's go find her!"

Bulma shook her head. "You aren't going anywhere. You'll just be in the way!"

Trunks looked a little hurt. "No I won't. I can keep up! See!" And he turned into a Super Saiyan.

Everyone except Gohan gasped. _It figures. If Goten can do it, then Trunks probably could too. _Gohan patted Trunks on the head. "You can't fly remember?"

Trunks frowned, then laughed sheepishly. "That's right! I forgot!"

Vegeta, however, was furious that Trunks was a SSJ and he hadn't known about it. And Kakarott's brat was acting as if nothing had happened! "WHAT IS GOING ON?!" he roared.

Gohan turned to Vegeta. "It appears that both Goten and Trunks have become Super Saiyans, Vegeta. What does it look like?"

"DON'T get smart with ME! What . . . when . . . HOW . . ."

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got some more stops to make, then I'm off to look for Videl." Gohan exited the house, leaving Vegeta mumbling to himself and flew to Master Roshi's tiny island house, searching the ground along his way.

Krillin was playing ball with little Marron while Master Roshi and Juuhachi [1] were lounging outside when he arrived. Marron nearly attacked Gohan, running up to him and grabbing his leg. "Hi Gohan!"

Krillin grinned. "It's been a while, huh?"

Gohan nodded. "I have a favor to ask of you, Krillin, and maybe Juuhachi. Uh . . . A friend of mine's been kidnapped, and I need your help to find her."

The short man raised an eyebrow. "Kidnapped, huh? Who's this friend of yours?"

Juuhachi came up to them and eyed Gohan. "This FRIEND of yours wouldn't happen to be the one you went to the dance with? Satan Hercule's daughter?"

Krillin's eyes widened. "SATAN HERCULE'S DAUGHTER?! What is going on?"

Gohan filled him in on the past events. "I can't pick up her ki anywhere, and I'm really worried."

"I'll help look," said Krillin. He winked at Gohan. "I hope your girlfriend's safe, Gohan."

"She's NOT my girlfriend!! Jeez! Hey, thanks for your help, though. I'm going to stop by Yamcha's before I start looking myself."

"Okay. Hey, have you heard from Tien? Maybe he could help."

Gohan frowned. He hadn't heard a word from him since the Cell games. He shook his head. "Nope. Well . . . I better be off."

"Why don't I stop by Yamcha's place?" Krillin suggested. "You just go and look for your little girlfriend, okay?"

Gohan ignored the girlfriend remark and nodded. "Thanks again. See ya!"

*~*

Meanwhile, back at the Son home, Chichi and Bulma were sitting in the living room, listening to the news for any word on Videl. They were sipping on tea, talking softly about Gohan and Videl's non-existent relationship.

"I hope she's alright," said Chichi. "I hate to think what would happen if she were . . . _dead_ or something."

Bulma had to agree. "Yeah. Gohan would flip, and probably blow up the whole earth in the process." She sighed. "And they haven't even had the chance to get together yet."

"Well, you know what this means."

"Uh . . . I do?"

"YES! When Videl comes back, and I know she will, we'll have to try harder than ever to get those two together!"

As the two older women were scheming, Trunks and Goten were in the backyard, fighting each other. They were both mad that Videl had been kidnapped, and even madder that they could not go and look for her. After beating the stuffing out of each other, they plopped down on the ground, breathing hard.

"I miss Videl!" moaned Gohan, lying back on the grass.

Trunks snorted. "Whining isn't going to bring her back, baka!"

"I know!! But what can we do?"

Trunks thought for a moment. _I'm the brains here . . . I should be able to think of something . . . STUPID!!! It's so obvious!! _"Flying Nimbus!" he hissed to Goten.

The younger boy looked confused. "What?"

"We can take to Flying Nimbus out and look for her! And there would be no way that either of our Mom's could stop us!"

"YEAH!!! Great idea. Why didn't **_I_** think of that?" Goten hopped onto his feet. "**FLYING NI**-"

Trunks slapped a hand over his mouth, glancing nervously back at the house. "They'll hear us if you yell that loud, stupid!!"

Goten pouted. "How else is it supposed to hear me?!"

"Do clouds hear, baka? They don't have ears."

Goten tilted his head to one side. "Hey! Good point. Gee, you sure are smart!"

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Call the stupid cloud. QUIETLY!"

"Flying Nimbus!" he whispered. They waited for a while . . . and nothing happened. "I told you Trunks! I gotta yell!"

"Fine!" Trunks pulled Goten away from the house and into a thick patch of trees to insolate the sound of Goten's yell.

"**FLYING NIMBUS**!!"

Sure enough, the cloud came flying down, stopping in front of them. They hopped on.

Trunks raised an eyebrow as Goten began to pull at the cloud, looking all over it, poking the fluffy white mass. "WHAT ARE YOU **DOING**?!!"

"Lookin for the ears!"

Trunks smacked Goten upside the back of his head. "Just drive this thing!"

Goten glared at his friend, mumbling something. The cloud took off. "We gotta stop by the house first."

"WHAT FOR?!! The whole point of this is to get away _without getting caught_!"

Goten ignored Trunks and flew up to the front door of his home. He knocked on the door and smiled when his mother answered.

"We're gonna go look for Videl, okay? We'll be back for lunch!!"

As the cold took off, Chichi was left on the ground, shouting up at them. Trunks was laughing his head off. "The look on your Mom's face was SOOOO funny! Haha!"

Chichi glared at the disappearing cloud. "I forgot about that damn thing!"

*~*

The boys had been searching for three hours when Goten began to whine. "We haven't found her yet!" he squealed.

Trunks sighed and rolled his eyes. "She could be anywhere. Just keep looking!"

Goten stared at the ground as they whizzed past. Then, something shiny lying in a field of grass caught his eye. He steered the cloud down to the ground, then hopped down, picking up the shiny object. "Ohhhh, pretty!"

Trunks slid off Nimbus and went up to him. "What is it?"

"It's a necklace! Lookie, it's made of silver, I bet!"

Trunks grabbed it from Goten's hand. "Wow! Must be worth a lot! I can't believe some baka lost it, and way out here!" He was just about to put it in his pocket when Goten snatched it out of his hand.

"We can't keep it! It's not ours!"

"Who said WE were gonna keep it? Give it to me!"

Goten shook his head. "I found it anyway!" He turned it over and saw a name inscribed on the back. "Look. It belongs to an Angela-somebody. We should try to give it back to its owner."

"Its owner could be halfway around the world. Besides, they _obviously_ didn't want it if they lost it out here. In the middle of _nowhere_."

Goten was just about to argue with him when Krillin landed in the grass next to them. "What are you boys doing out here?"

"We're looking for Videl," Goten said proudly.

"Oh, yeah? What's that in your hand?"

The younger boy held it out while Trunks groaned. There was no way that he would be able to pawn it now. "We found it. It belongs to an Angela person."

"Angela, eh . . ." Krillin remembered Gohan speaking about the murder of a girl named in Angela in his class. She'd been pretty rich, too. _Maybe this belonged to her. But what is it doing out here? Could it be some sort of clue? _Krillin spiked up his ki, trying to attract the attention of Gohan and any of the other Z-fighters that were looking for Videl.

Within minutes, Piccolo, Gohan, Vegeta and Yamcha had arrived on the scene. "What is it, Krillin?" Gohan asked anxiously.

He showed Gohan what he'd found. Vegeta looked extremely agitated. "I was called here because you found a damn piece of _jewelry_?!"

"Not just any piece of jewelry," muttered Gohan. "I remember seeing Angela wearing this at the dance. Angela's room was torn apart when she was killed, so I'm guessing that whoever killed her stole this out of her room."

"And you think whoever killed this girl also kidnapped Videl," finished Piccolo.

"Right. So . . . maybe they're somewhere near here. Okay, guys, let's split up."

Everyone went their separate ways, scanning the area. The boys jumped back on Nimbus and did their own scouting. Within a few minutes, Trunks had spotted an extinguished campfire.

"We're on a roll!" he exclaimed, raising his ki.

When the others arrived, Piccolo announced that the fire had been put out recently, and that maybe Videl and her kidnapper were somewhere around the area.

So, once again, they all split up, only to regroup a few hours later empty handed. Gohan was getting annoyed. All of their clues had turned up as dead ends.

And his friends were looking the same way, and a little tired. Goten and Trunks were both **VERY** hungry, and so was Gohan, but he tried to ignore his hunger. After all, Videl was way more important than stuffing his face, even if he _hadn't _had any breakfast.

"Why don't you guys go on to my place?" he said. "I'm sure Mom will be willing to feed you all since you've been trying to help me find Videl."

Goten frowned. "Aren't you coming, Gohan?"

He shook his head. "I'm gonna continue to look for a while, okay? I'll be there in a little while."

The others reluctantly left Gohan in the air. He landed on the ground and began his search on foot. He entered a set of thick woods, walking through them. Gohan had no idea where he was going, but kept walking anyway. About an hour later, he sighed in defeat. _Maybe I should head home and rest up._

When Gohan took to the air, he was surprised to see that he wasn't very far from his house. In fact, he could see the dome shaped home perfectly. _Strange. So Videl could be somewhere hear the house . . . and all this time I've been all over the place._

Gohan flew home and entered the house through the back door, coming into a slightly crowded kitchen where his poor mother was slaving over the stove while Goten, Trunks and Vegeta were wolfing down plates full of food.

"Woman! Bring me some more food!" shouted Vegeta.

Chichi turned away from the stove and glared at him. "I KNOW you're not talking to me like that!"

"So what if I am?"

Gohan cleared his throat, silencing the group. "Uh, hi. What's up?"

Chichi grabbed Gohan and shoved him into a chair. "How do you expect to find Videl if you're starving half to death! Eat!" She placed a bowl full of noodles in front of him and, to everyone's surprise, he began to eat civilly, unlike the other Saiyans in the room.

"I hope you all noticed," spoke Yamcha, "that we found all of those clues really close to Chichi's house. They could still be in the area."

Gohan nodded. "I noticed. But night is falling, and they're probably going to settle down for the night." He finished up his noodles and his mother refilled his bowl.

A few minutes into his meal, Gohan felt the rise of a familiar ki. He dropped his chopsticks into the bowl with a loud clatter and jumped out of his chair. "Did you guys feel that?!" he practically shouted.

Krillin shook his head. "Feel what?"

Could he have been imagining it? Had he actually felt Videl's ki, or was he just imagining it?

He gasped as he felt her ki spike again, and he knew then that he hadn't lost his mind. "I think I've found her, guys. I'll be back in a while." He changed to Saiyaman and locked onto Videl's energy, using Instant Transmission.

He reappeared in front of a cave and hid behind a pile of rocks, lowering his energy level so that he would not be discovered. He peeked around them and into the dim cave. Gohan narrowed his eyes as he saw Videl struggling against Vile as he brought a funny looking device with a long, pointy stem up to her neck.

Gohan flew into the cave, ramming Vile into the wall. He turned to a shocked Videl and told her to leave the cave. She immediately ran off.

"Not you again," grumbled Vile. "The idiot in the crazy get-up."

Gohan smirked. "Me? The idiot? You're the one who left clues to your location scattered all over the place."

Vile growled. "I'm on a mission, boy. Don't get in my way." He lunged at Gohan, who neatly dogged his fist and wrapped a hand around the man's neck. He lifted him off of the ground and held Vile up so that he was at eye level with Gohan.

"What do you want with Videl? Why are you trying to kill her?"

Vile snorted. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Gohan squeezed his hand around the other man's neck. "Don't MESS with me."

"Alright! I-I was hired to do away with her!"

"By who?"

He laughed evilly. "Doesn't matter. That person's dead now."

"Then what do you want with her?"

"I-I got direct orders from my prince!"

"And who's that?"

"Can't tell."

Gohan growled and punched the man in the face, sending him falling onto the ground. "ANSWER ME!"

Vile knew he was going to die. But there was no way that he was going to let some punk kid torture any information from him. He'd sworn allegiance to the soon-to-be king, and he would not go back on his word. So there was one other option . . .

Vile gave Gohan one last smirk, then held his hand up to his own chest and fired a powerful ki blast.

Gohan averted his gaze as the man blew himself up, leaving nothing but ashes behind. "Shoot," he muttered. "There goes all of my information."

He looked down at the pink device that Vile was about to stick into Videl's neck, which had fallen on the floor during Gohan's first attack. The base was circular with a dial on it, with a pointy needle-like thing jutting out of it. He picked it up, then noticed a similar white one lying not too far from it and grabbed this one too. Besides the color, they were exactly identical to one another.

Well, except for one thing. The white one's dial was spinning like mad, while the other was still. Gohan put them into his pocket. _Maybe Piccolo or Vegeta will have some idea what they are._

Gohan left the cave and found Videl sitting on the ground, cradling a broken arm. She looked up at him and smiled weakly. "Thank you, Saiyaman."

He kneeled down next to her and looked her over. She had a huge black eye and a coupled of other bruises on her face, but besides those and the broken arm, she looked fine. "Are you okay?"

"Just my arm. How did you find me? What happened to that guy?"

Gohan just shook his head and gathered her in his arms. "Later," he muttered. "Hold on tight. I saw a house on my way here. I'm sure the people there will help you."

Videl's head began to swim as the scenery around her phased out and she reappeared in front of the Son home. She fainted from the experience.

Gohan knocked on the door. His mother threw the door open and gasped when she saw Videl. "Bring her in, Gohan!"

Everyone was still in his house, and they made way for Gohan as he stepped into the house, but crowded around as he brought her into his room and laid her down on his bed. "I need a senzu bean," he muttered softly.

Bulma slapped Vegeta on the arm. "Don't you keep one in your glove?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes, slipping off the white glove, shaking out the bean. Vegeta tossed it to Gohan, who practically shoved the bean down Videl's throat.

He changed back to his regular clothes and ushered everyone out of the room so that Videl could get some peace.

"What happened, Gohan?" demanded Piccolo. "Where's the Vile guy you told me about?"

"Er . . . he sorta killed himself." Gohan told them the little information he managed to get out of Vile, then produced the two devices. "This white one's really weird. It keeps on spinning."

Piccolo took the white one from him, then frowned when the dial stopped turning. He pointed the needle point in Gohan's direction. It began to spin again. He went through the room and pointed it at the rest of the Saiyans, then Krillin and Yamcha, even Bulma and Chichi and nothing happened. "It seems to respond to you, Gohan."

"I wonder why. Do you recognize it, Piccolo? Or maybe you, Vegeta?"

The Saiyan Prince glared at Gohan. "Why in the world would I know what that is?"

Goten giggled. "Cuz you're an alien, that's why! And you're old! Isn't that right, Gohan?"

Gohan forced back laughter. "Sure, Goten. That's why."

His little brother stuck his tongue out at Trunks. "See? I'm not a baka."

Piccolo handed the device back to Gohan and sighed as the dial began to whirl again. "I don't have any idea what it is. I've never seen it before."

Gohan put them back in his pocket. "Well, thanks for your help, guys. I guess you can go now."

"It's about time," mumbled Vegeta as they left.

Chichi was very excited about having Videl back. She gave Gohan a huge hug. "Didn't I tell you that you'd find her?"

Gohan nodded. "Now . . . do you think I could eat?"

*~*

When Videl awoke, she found herself in unfamiliar surroundings. She sat up in the bed, looking around. The simplicity of the room sparked her memory. _I'm in Gohan's house. How . . . That's right. Saiyaman brought me here._

As she slid out of the bed, she was amazed that she could move her arm and that there was not an aching spot on her body. _How long have I been out?_

Videl slowly made her way into the hall and into the main part of the house. Goten was sitting in front of the tv, watching cartoons and Gohan was reading a book. She cleared her throat loudly.

Gohan looked up and placed his book aside. He got up and helped her over to the couch. "Videl! You're awake."

"Yeah. But . . . what happened? Especially to my arm?" she asked.

"Uh . . . there are these things, called senzu beans that heal every type of injury. I gave you one."

"Oh." _Gohan sure is weird. Senzu beans? _"I'm really lucky that Saiyaman came and got me when he did. I thought that guy was going to kill me."

"Speaking of your kidnapper . . . what did he do? I mean, what exactly happened?"

"I woke up in that cave- the one where Saiyaman found me. The guy was talking to some guy on a two-way communicator of some sort . . ."

__

*~* Flashback *~*

Videl watched as her kidnapper pulled a black object that looked like a laptop, only smaller, and placed it on the ground. He stood back and watched as a huge screen appeared and the face of a man with spiky black hair and dark eyes came into view.

"I've made an important discovery, my prince," he said, falling onto one knee.

Videl stared at Vile's back. 'Is that a . . . no way! He's got a-'

"What is it, Vile?"

"I've found one of the Powers, prince. The pink soochi [2] _is reacting to the girl I found."_

The man on the screen stared right at Videl, who scowled back. "Girl, eh? She's pretty . . ."

Vile shifted uncomfortably. "Do you . . . want me to bring her to you, your highness?"

"Yes. Why not? Drain her, then bring her to headquarters. And please, I'd rather have her untouched- and I mean that in more ways than one."

Videl shivered. "Disgusting," she sneered.

"Of course, my prince. She will be delivered to you unharmed."

"How are you going to do that? You already hit me!" she exclaimed.

The prince on the screen laughed. "She's got spunk. These human women are very interesting. Obviously their men do not keep a tight enough reign over them," he mused with a grin on his face. "Well, good work Vile. You can expect a promotion for this. I want you here within the next two days." The prince disappeared, and the screen did the same.

Vile hauled Videl up off of the ground and smacked her in the face. "Trying to make me look bad in front of my superiors, huh?"

"You better not hit me again! You're prince-"

He smirked. "You already pointed out that I've hit you before. I'm sure he won't notice an extra bruise or two . . ."

Videl immediately began to struggle against him. He growled, then pulled a pink device out of his pocket. 'This must be the soochi,' thought Videl. She tried to push Vile away as he brought it up to her neck.

*~* End Flashback *~*

"And that was when Saiyaman came and rescued me," finished Videl.

Gohan nodded. Her information was helpful. So the soochi- the things he'd collected- were designed to react to a special person. But why Videl? And why him? "Was there anything else weird about either the prince or Vile? Anything that could've set them apart from an everyday person?"

Videl nibbled on her lower lip, then her eyes widened. "Oh! I almost forgot! There _was _something really strange about Vile! When he knelt down, something popped out from underneath his shirt."

Gohan frowned. "What?"

"A fuzzy brown tail."

Author's Note: A TAIL?!! That could only mean ONE THING!

[1] Juuhachi- android 18. I didn't like calling her a number, although, technically, juuhachi DOES mean 18 in Japanese . . .

[2] soochi- Japanese word for device. Funny, huh? I'm not THAT creative.

****

ADVERTISING: Go and read 'That Which is Not His' by Ponderosa. It is a 1+2 Gundam Wing fic and it's really cute!

__

NEXT CHAPTER: Training for the Tenkaichi Budokai begins! Find out who's going to enter and who isn't. 


	17. II Training

Author's Note: I'm back! I'm glad you all like the Saiyan thing. I have a perfectly good explanation for all of that, but you guys will have to wait a while to hear it.

****

WARNING: Some sexual stuff in here. You'll see . . .

Part II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Seventeen *~*

Tenkaichi Budokai Time

Gohan leapt up off of the couch. "A _tail_?!" he shrieked. This was NOT happening. It was like 'invasion of the Saiyans' all over again. _Impossible! I thought that Goten, Vegeta, Trunks and me were the only living Saiyans left!_

Videl read the panic on Gohan's face, then stood up too. "You know something! What?!"

"N-nothing!! D-don't you think it's weird that a guy had a TAIL?! Haha!" _Good cover up, Gohan. I hope she buys it._

As usual, Videl looked a little more than a tiny bit suspicious. She was VERY suspicious. _He's such a bad liar . . . probably because he doesn't do it often, unless he's with me._ "Yeah, it is . . ."

Goten laughed. "Gohan, you're silly! Remember, I had-"

Gohan slapped his hand over Goten's mouth and laughed nervously. "SHUT UP, Goten," he hissed. "Why don't you go and bug Mom?"

The youngest Son ran off, leaving Gohan and Videl alone. "Uh . . . let's forget about all of that for now! Are you hungry, tired . . .?"

__

There he goes again, running away like a little puppy dog. Videl glared at him as he wondered into the kitchen, chatting the whole way.

"Mom made some awesome soup earlier . . . I think there's some left over. You want a bowl?"

called Gohan from the kitchen, sticking his head into the open refrigerator.

Videl quietly walked up behind him and glared at his back.

When Videl didn't answer, Gohan whirled around, only to come in contact with her. He let out a tiny yelp and flattened himself against the fridge as she locked her ever so penetrating gaze on him. "W-what?" he asked, his voice a very high pitch.

She continued to stare at him for a few minutes, hoping to scare him into telling her what he knew, ignoring the pounding of her heart the whole time. They were close, VERY close . . . When he showed no signs of spilling the beans, and when she realized that she WAS hungry, Videl let out a big sigh, stepping back and sitting at the kitchen table. "Soup sounds fine."

Gohan released his breath and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, laughing nervously. _MAN, that was CREEPY! What in the world just happened here?!_ He began to warm up the pot of soup, glancing once and a while a Videl, who sat quietly at the table.

__

It's good to have her back, and unhurt. I was really lucky that Videl's ki rose when it did, or she might not be here now. I have a lot to be thankful for . . .

Gohan cleared his throat "Er . . . so . . . are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. That bean you said you gave me worked wonders."

"Ah . . ."

Gohan's mother and Goten entered the kitchen at that moment, and Chichi immediately grabbed Videl and hugged her tightly. "I'm SO glad you're okay! I was worried out of my mind!"

"I'm glad to be back!" gasped Videl.

"Mom . . . you're gonna crush her!" Goten giggled. "Let her go! It's my turn for a hug!"

When Chichi stepped back, Goten launched himself at Videl. She caught him as he threw his arms around her neck.

When she sat his feet on the floor, he sniffed the air. "OHHH, I smell food!!"

Gohan laughed. "I'm warning up some soup. You all want some?

They both agreed and so the extended Son family closed the night with a meal of hearty soup and soothing green tea. Then the issue of where Videl was going to sleep arose.

"She'll sleep with me!" cried Goten. "I can get the cot out!"

Chichi rolled her eyes. "She'll sleep in MY bed. I'll take the cot."

"I couldn't do that, Chichi. Why don't I take the cot?" offered Videl.

"Not after all you've been through."

Gohan sighed and shook his head. He was tired and wanted to sleep. "Okay, she'll sleep in MY bed, and I'll take the cot. Is that okay with everyone?"

Goten reluctantly nodded, and Chichi looked worried. "Now, Gohan, I expect you to be a gentleman. Separate beds, and-"

Gohan knew where she was going with her speech. "I KNOW, Mom. That's what the cot's for!"

Videl stifled a laugh and followed Gohan into his room. His face was a little red ad he began to dig around in his dresser.

"What are you looking for?" asked Videl.

He pulled a t-shirt and a pair of shorts out and held them out to her. "Something for you to wear. The bathroom's just down the hall, if you want to shower or something."

As Videl walked off to shower, Gohan smacked himself on the head several times. "WHY, WHY did I agree to this?! WHAT was I thinking?!" he hissed.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid . . ." he muttered as he went into the hallway and pulled their spare cot out of a closet, then carried it back to his room. Gohan unfolded it and threw some sheets onto it with a heavy sigh.

Meanwhile, Videl was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, staring at her face. Her hand slowly drifted up to her cheek.

She'd expected to have some bruises, and was shocked to see her white skin was unmarked. _Strange . . . It's like I wasn't hit at all. Maybe Gohan's bean thingy has something to do with it . . ._

After a quick shower, Videl went back to Gohan's room where he was sprawled out on the cot in the floor, staring up at the roof. She cleared her throat, catching Gohan's attention.

He sat up quickly. "Uh . . . back so soon?"

"My face."

"What?"

"What happened to my face?"

Gohan chuckled nervously and stood up, inching closer to her. "Er . . . what do you mean?"

"I MEAN, why isn't my face bruised?"

"Oh, that." Gohan reached past her to flick off the light and retreated to the cot. "The senzu bean did that too."

"Hmm . . ." Videl walked over to the bed and got in, pulling the covers over her body and falling back against the pillow. _Damn . . . it all smells like GOHAN . . . Well, what did I expect? _She rolled over onto her side and stared out of the window.

She lay like that for a while, until she heard the soft, even breathing coming from Gohan. Videl sat up in the bed and glanced over at him, smiling at the way his legs, tangled in the blankets, were hanging half off the cot and the way his arms were thrown over his face.

__

Cute . . . aw, damn it! NO, not cute!

Videl drew her legs up to her chest, contemplating her relationship with Gohan. It was all too new to her . . . she'd never really had any FEELINGS for a boy, besides strong dislike for Sharpner, but that wasn't the same. Was she beginning to like him?

She shot a look at Gohan as he muttered, "That fells good," in his sleep. Videl smirked. What _exactly_ was he dreaming about?

"Lower," he whispered softly. "Ahhhhh . . . right _there . . ._"

At this point, Videl was practically hanging off the bed, staring down at Gohan with wide eyes. He had an incredibly goofy smile on his face and . . . was he _drooling_?

"You're so sweet . . . yeah . . ."

__

Oh, my GOD . . . is he dreaming about someone he LIKES? Ohmygod, ohmygod, this is sooo embarrassing . . . I feel embarrassed FOR him . . .

She was about to shake him awake when the evil part of her decided against it. _Maybe he'll say the name of the girl he's dreaming about . . ._

So Videl sat back and watched as he moaned and shifted on the cot. "Riiiiiiiiiight there . . . ah, yeah, so good . . . **_harder_** . . . no, don't stop . . . ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh . . . "

Videl had to cover her mouth with BOTH of her hands to stop herself from laughing out loud. She needed this, especially after what had happened to her. _This is great!! He'll never live this one down!!_

Gohan scratched his belly, then mumbled, "Let me see you, please. You're soooo good at this . . ." He stretched like a kitten, reaching for something that wasn't there. "Don't hide . . ."

Videl leaned forward, so that her upper half was hanging off of the bed. _This is it! Say her NAME!!_

Suddenly Gohan jerked upright in the cot, screaming on the top of his lungs. This surprised Videl and she toppled off of the bed and right into Gohan's lap with an 'oof'.

The door was thrown open and Chichi rushed in, flicking on the lights. "WHAT?! WHAT?!!" she shrieked.

Gohan groaned, his eyes focusing in the light. "What . . . what's going on?"

Chichi gasped when she caught sight of Videl lying in Gohan's lap. "WHAT IN THE WORLD??!!"

Videl struggled to get up, only succeeding in tangling herself up in Gohan's sheets. "Damn . . . damn . . . DAMN!" Her plan had backfired. Instead of finding out who Gohan's dream girl was, she'd ended up humiliating herself and sprawled in Gohan's lap, way too close to his . . . ahem.

Gohan tilted his head to one side and stared down at Videl. He suddenly remembered his dream, then blushed and stiffened. He helped Videl off of him, sighing in relief when she finally stood up.

"I THOUGHT I SAID-"

"Shhhh, Mom!" hissed Gohan. "You'll wake Goten! You know he won't go back to sleep once he's woken up!"

Chichi took a deep breath and glared at both of them. "I want to know what EXACTLY is going on?!"

"Uh . . . it's my fault! Gohan was dreaming and I wanted to wake him up," fibbed Videl. "I was leaning over to shake him, he screamed, and I fell . . . you know the rest."

"Yeah, Mom, that's it! Nothing happened, I swear!"

Chichi crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. But one more incident out of you two, and Gohan's getting the couch, got it?"

Videl nodded quickly and slid back into the bed. Gohan's mother turned out the lights and left.

Gohan sighed in relief. "Whew! That was close."

"You're telling me."

"Um . . . I didn't . . . SAY anything when I was dreaming . . . did I?"

"Nope. Not a thing."
    
    *~*

An hour after Chichi had left them, Gohan was still awake. He was aware of Videl's steady, even breathing, which told him she was sleeping.

He massaged his temples, then snickered. _Massage . . . ha . . ._

That was what his dream had been about. Gohan remembered it clearly . . .

__

*~* Dream Sequence *~*

The sun stroked Gohan's back as he lay on his stomach. It was a perfect day at the beach, not too hot, not too cool, a soft breeze and the bright sun. Did it get any better than that?

Apparently it did.

Gohan froze in shock as someone straddled his waist and placed their tiny hands on his back. "What . . . who . . ."

"Shhh . . ." The mystery person began to rub her hands over his back, working his muscles. "Oh, you're so tense . . . **relax**, baby . . ."

How could he relax when some woman, yes a woman, was on top of him, her hands roaming freely over his skin? He was just about to protest when he realized that her attentions were starting to feel good, **really good** . . .

"That fells good. Lower . . . ahhhhh . . . right **there** . . ."

The mystery female continued to massage his back, working her way up and down. She laughed softly as he tried to sit up and reach for her. She shoved him back down onto the beach towel and continued to rub his back.

"Riiiiiiiiiight there . . . ah, yeah, so good . . . harder . . . no, don't stop . . . ahhhhhhhhhhhh . . . "

Gohan wanted to know the identity of this girl. She was like magic, and he wanted her. "_Let me see you, please. You're soooo good at this . . ." He reached back, trying to grab at her. She kept evading his grasp, giggling seductively the whole time. "Don't hide . . ."_

"Alright, I'll let you see me," she whispered into his ear. 

Gohan eagerly sat up, and came face to face with . . .

Videl.

*~* End Dream Sequence *~*

Gohan shivered. It was weird, having those kind of dreams about Videl. Or those kind of dreams, period! In fact, they hadn't started until he met Videl and became mixed up in the whole Saiyaman affair. He recalled the other dream he'd had about Videl . . . how she kissed him in the bank.

Not that it was _unpleasant _to dream about Videl. She was very pretty, kind when she felt like it, and a good fighter. But . . . if he ever happened to develop any feelings for her, he was positive that she would kill him.

Gohan stared at Videl's sleeping form in his bed. He was very protective of her, and, he knew, if anything ever happened to her, he'd go postal and that would be the end of the world. Literally.

__

Is this love? COULD it be love?

Before Videl, every girl had been the same. In his eyes, they were all superficial, flighty beings obsessed with the opposite sex. But he and Videl had a lot in common, and he actually LIKED her. 

__

Can't forget those hot dreams . . .

Gohan chuckled to himself. Okay, so there was something there, between them. He knew it, and he realized that he couldn't ignore it any longer.

__

Aw, shoot . . . falling for the toughest girl alive . . . not good, Gohan . . . **not** good at all . . .

*~*

Gohan was awaken by frequent nudging in his ribcage. He groaned and sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "What . . ."

"Morning, sleepy head," said Videl. She was kicking at him with her foot, grinning the whole time. "Get up. It's almost noon."

"NOON?!" He jumped up and placed a hand on his grumbling stomach. "I'm sooo hungry," he moaned.

Videl snickered. "Yeah. Your belly woke me up about an hour ago. Let's go- you Mom just got done with lunch."

"Sure . . . let me wash up real quick. Save me some food!" Gohan dashed down the hall and into the bathroom , slamming the door behind him.

Videl went into the kitchen, where Goten was already stuffing his face with rice. Videl smiled at Chichi and sat at the table, accepting a bowl of hot rice from the older woman.

"You know, Videl," started Chichi. "You're going to have to go home soon. I'm sure your Dad is worried about you."

"Shoot. You're right." Videl sighed. "Say, did you hear anything on the news about my housemaid, Iria?"

"Iria? Oh, yeah! She was hit on the head with a blunt object of some sort. Anyway, she was taken to the hospital, but I think she's fine."

"Good. I was worried."

"I'll phone Bulma and ask her to stop by and take you home after lunch, okay?" Chichi moved over to the phone.

"Sleep well?" asked Goten, his mouth full of rice. "Thought I heard Ma yellin 'bout somethin last night."

"Ahhh . . . no, she wasn't yelling. You were probably just dreaming!"

"Guess so."

Gohan then came into the kitchen, wearing a pair of dark pants and a white shirt that was halfway buttoned up. He grabbed a bowl and filled it with food, sitting next to Videl.

She stared at his hair, which had managed to stay pointy, even though it was clearly wet. _Gravity defying hair . . . interesting . . . _Her eyes drifted down to the bit of bare chest that was showing from his partly unbuttoned shirt. His tan skin looked quite inviting . . . Videl let her eyes wonder down to his waist. It was unusually TINY for a guy, but Gohan was really fit. What did she expect? _Hmm . . . those pants fit really well . . ._

"Uh . . . Videl? Hellllllooooo?! Anyone home?" Gohan asked, waving his chopsticks in front of her face.

Goten giggled. "I don't think so! The lights are off!"

Gohan chuckled. Videl snapped out of her daze and turned a bit red. "Sorry? You were saying something?"
    
    "What were you looking at?"

"Ahh . . . I was zoning out for a while."

"Uh, huh."

Chichi came back to the group and sat at the table, frowning. "I just spoke to Bulma, and she said that we should have contacted the police the minute Videl showed up here."

Gohan nodded. "Yeah . . . maybe . . ."

Videl waved her hand, finishing off the last of her food. "Don't worry about it. I'll explain everything to the cops."

While they waited for Bulma to arrive, Goten persuaded Videl, who persuaded Gohan, to play some board games with him. They were currently engrossed in a heated game of Monopoly.

Goten laughed evilly as Videl landed on one of his properties. "Haha! You owe me . . . how much would that be? Let's see . . . I've got five hotels . . . eight houses there . . . ahhh . . ."

Videl sweat dropped. She handed him the rest of her money and her title deeds. "You cleaned me out, kid."

When Gohan landed on another of Goten's places, he sighed and handed over all of his stuff, too. "I always loose to him. He's just too good . . ."

Suddenly someone pounded on their door. "OPEN UP, NOW!!" shouted the voice of Vegeta.

Gohan got up off of the floor and opened the door. Vegeta stalked into the house, followed by Trunks and Bulma.

"I don't see WHY I had to come," grumbled Vegeta angrily.

"Because Gohan had something VERY IMPORTANT to tell you," she hissed. "Don't you, Gohan?"

"Ah . . . right! Come on outside with me, Vegeta."

The two stepped out of the house. "Alright, brat, make this quick. And it better be good."

"Er . . . okay then. Videl said that her kidnapper had a tail."
    
    Vegeta stared in disbelief at him. "A tail? Impossible. All Saiyans were wiped out by Freeza long ago, except me, Kakkarot and those OTHER GUYS."

"She said-"

"Maybe she was delusional from getting slapped around too much," snickered Vegeta.

Gohan sighed. "And she mentioned something about a prince. Now if, she SAID he had a tail and that there was a prince, then I believe her. Just think about it . . . what if there are MORE Saiyans? And another Saiyan prince?"

This angered Vegeta. He glared at Gohan and shoved him against the house. "There is ONE, and ONLY ONE Saiyan prince, and he has your sorry ass pinned against your own home, ready to blast you into oblivion!!"

"Um . . . right. Didn't mean it, forget I opened my mouth . . . yeah . . ."

Vegeta took a step back. "That's what I thought. WOMAN!!! Get that female and let's GO!" He stomped back to the jet copter.

Bulma came out of the house with Videl. "You want to come with us, Gohan?"

"Sure." They all got into the copter, and Gohan stayed away from Vegeta, who still looked ticked off. He sat next to Videl and buckled himself into a seat.

They arrived in Satan City about forty-five minutes later, and Videl instructed Bulma to land in her back yard. She forced back laughter when her Dad and several police officers ran from the house and outside, gaping at the copter.

When Videl stepped out of the copter, followed by Gohan, Hercule gasped. "VIDEL!!! YOU'RE ALRIGHT!!" he shouted. Then he turned to Gohan and pointed a finger at him. "You kidnapped her, didn't you?!"

Gohan's mouth fell open. "What?! NO!! I-"

"I remember what you said! 'I'll be around, whether you know it or not. I'll be watching Videl very closely'! Arrest him!!" several police officers moved forward, one drawing out his handcuffs.

"You can't do that!" protested Videl. "He didn't kidnap me."

Hercule eyed Gohan suspiciously. "So what in the world are you doing with him?!"

"Saiyaman rescued me and dropped me off at the nearest house, which just happened to be Gohan's."

"And what about you kidnapper? Where's he?"

"Damn! I have no idea, you'll have to ask Saiyaman."

"These answers are unacceptable, young lady!" exclaimed Hercule. "Arrest the kid!"
    
    Bulma shook her head, watching the commotion from the copter. She joined Videl and Gohan outsides. "Is there a problem here?" she asked.

Hercule gapped at her, eyeing her body. "Hey, you're Bulma Briefs!"

Videl rolled her eyes. _So sad . . ._

"That's right. I'd like to say that there was no way that Gohan could've kidnapped Videl. After all, he was over five hundred miles away when it happened. If I'm correct, then Videl was kidnapped right after she returned home from dropping Gohan at his house. There was no way that he could've made it back to Satan City in time."

Gohan wanted to bow down in front of Bulma and kiss her shoes. _Thank you, Dende! She saved my butt!_

The cops looked at each other, then stepped back. Hercule gave up on his notion, pulling Videl over to him. "Well, thanks kid. You want an autograph or somethin?"

"Uh . . . no! I'm fine. See ya later Videl." Gohan went back into the copter and Bulma went after him. She started the jet and took off.

"I saw the way that fraud was looking at you," snapped Vegeta to his wife. "I'll kill him the next time I see him!"

"Chill out, Vegeta. I can't help it if I've got a fine body and everyone knows it," she said playfully.

"Yes, well, your 'fine body' as you call it belongs to me. You'd do well to remember that!"

Gohan gagged. "Um, if you guys are going to continue this conversation, then I'm gonna . . ."

"Sorry, Gohan," giggled Bulma. "Anyway, I bet you're glad that Videl's safe and sound."

"Yeah . . . but I'm worried about that prince guy. What if he comes after her?"

Vegeta snickered. "What prince?"

*~*

Two days passed and Videl was busy preparing for the Tenkaichi Budokai. She'd set her alarm to five in the morning so that, by six, she was in the gym, training hard. The tournament was less than a month away, and Videl was pumped. She wanted to do her very best, and hopefully snatch the title away from her father, who'd stopped training long ago, claiming that there was no one strong enough to compete against him and win.

Videl was currently kicking the stuffing out of a punching bag when Iria, who'd insisted on returning to work even though she had a huge bruise on her face, and Erasa entered the room. Videl stepped away from the battered bag and smiled at her friends. "Hi guys. What's up?"

"It's nice to see you working so hard, Videl," said the housemaid. "I'll leave you two girls alone."

Erasa pulled Videl into a tight hug. "I'm glad you're okay! I was sooooo worried."

"I'm glad I'm okay too!"

Erasa looked Videl over, then whispered, "That guy . . . he didn't . . . _you know_ . . . force himself on you?"

"NO!!" shrieked Videl. "No way."
    
    Her friend sighed in relief. "Well, that's good. Anyway, I can tell you're really serious about this competition."

Videl nodded. "I want to win. Or at least do my best."

"Is kicking a bag gonna help you any?" she teased.

"Good point . . . say, how would you like to come over to Capsule Corp with me?" suggested Videl. "I want to use this really cool training room Bulma Briefs has there."

"Pass up a chance like that?! No way. Let's go."

The girls left the house without telling Hercule where they were going and hopped into Videl's copter. Erasa was practically bubbling with excitement when they landed on the yard of CC and went up to the door.

Videl knocked a couple of times and smiled when Trunks opened the door. "Hey, Videl! What's up?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted to use the room."

"The room? OHHHHH, that one! Come on in." He let the girls in, keeping his eye on Erasa. "Who's the chick?" he asked, rudely jerking his thumb at the blond girl.

Erasa gasped. "HEY!"

"This is a friend of mine from school. Watch out, she's also a friend of Gohan's . . ."

"Oi! Sorry then. Don't want to mess with Gohan!" Trunks led them to the room, letting Videl in, but not Erasa. "_She_ can't go in. She'll get crushed."

Erasa was about to protest when Bulma Briefs herself came down the hall and eyed them all. "Did I miss something?"

"Oh, I just came for the room," said Videl.

"Ah. Well, Vegeta's taking a 'nap', so I guess it's okay. What about _her_?" asked Bulma, looking at Erasa.

"I'm Erasa, a friend of Videl and Gohan from school! I came here for your tour . . ."

"Oh! Uh . . . hi!"

"Do you think . .. you could show me some stuff you're working on? I'll keep everything a secrets, if you want me to! Please?!"

Bulma chuckled at the girl's enthusiasm. "Okay. Follow me!"

As they went off, Trunks followed Videl into the gravity room, shutting the door behind them. "So, Trunks, you think you could show me how to work this thing?" muttered Videl, looking at the controls.

"Sure!" Trunks went over to the controls and punched some buttons. The lights in the room dimmed and suddenly Videl was plastered on the ground. "Oops!" He turned down the gravity so that she could stand. "Sorry about that!"

"Right . . ." _That's weird . . . how did HE stand up if I couldn't?_

"Whatcha training for?" Trunks asked, watching as Videl began to experiment under the new conditions.

"The . . . twenty-fifth . . . Tenkaichi . . . Budokai."

"Cool! A world tournament! Maybe I can enter too!"
    
    "Sure thing, kid. If you want to. They've got a junior division now."

Trunks gasped in horror. He pictured the junior division- snot nosed kids running around, waving their fists in the air as if they were fighting. "NO WAY!! Junior division?! That's . . . that's . . . _injustice_!!"

Videl shot him a look. "The officials don't want kids to get hurt too badly. It's a safety measure."

"Safety measure my a-"

"TRUNKS!! Don't you dare . . ."

"Uh, sorry. Anyway, you wanna spar?" he asked anxiously. He wanted to see first hand what Videl could do.

"Okay . . . I'll go easy on you."

Trunks snickered. _More like vice versa . . ._

*~*

A few hours later, Videl emerged from the gravity room, looking frazzled. Trunks was strong for a little kid. Vegeta was standing in the hall, leaning against a wall, smirking as Videl exited the room.

"DON'T say a WORD," she grumbled.

He laughed and went into the room to give his son a real sparing lesson.

Videl wandered into the living room and was surprised to see Bulma and Erasa bent over some device that Bulma had just created. Erasa was closely listening as the older woman explained each and every component and it's function. She cleared her throat.

"Oh, Videl! You didn't tell me your friend was interested in engineering and inventing!" exclaimed Bulma.

"I didn't know. Who would've guessed? She doesn't pay attention in class."

Erasa blushed. "Um . . . the way they teach it at school is sooo boring! At least this is hands on!"

"Whatever. Are you ready to go?"

"Sure thing!"

Bulma stood up. "Speaking of school, what are you guys going to for classes?"

"They cancelled them for the rest of the year," answered Erasa. "We had less than a month left anyway, so they just decided to let us out early."

When they got into Videl's copter, Erasa looked her friend over, then giggled. "Did you fight that kid? He did a number on you!"

"Shut up."

*~*

Gohan was on the phone, telling Krillin about the information Videl had given him when there was a beep. "Oh, hold on. Someone's on the other line." He clicked over. "Hello?"

"Hey."

"Videl! How are you?"

"Just fine. I just called to tell you the Tenkaichi Budokai is coming up in a few weeks."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

" . . ."

"Are you going to enter?" she asked, sighing heavily.

"Nah, I don't think so."

"Why NOT?!"

"Umm . . . because I don't want to?" Why fight when he didn't have to?

Videl snickered. "Whatever. But you're still going to come and watch me fight, right?"

"Sure."

"Great. If you're not going to enter, could you at least train with me a bit? I need a sparing partner."

"Er . . . okay . . ."

"Fantastic! I'll see you tomorrow then!" She hung up.

Gohan stared down at the phone. _Man, that was fast! _He clicked back over. "Sorry Krillin. That was Videl."

"Ohhhhh, your girlfriend! What did she want?"

"She's NOT my girlfriend. And she wanted me to enter the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai."

"Well, are you?"

"No. The only thing I fight now is crime."

Krillin chuckled. "Sure thing, Gohan. Hmm . . . all that prize money . . . I think I'll enter, and Juuhachi probably will too. Then we could finally get off of this island . . ."

It was Gohan's turn to laugh. "Okay, but watch out! Videl is _some _competition!"
    
    "Are you joking with me?"

"No."

"Oh. She's that good?"

"Well, she can't fly or use ki blasts, but yeah, she's good. For a human, anyway."

"Yeah, for a _human_," said Krillin, sounding a little hurt. "I'll catch you later, okay? Keep an eye on your girlfriend, Gohan."

"I will. But she's not my-"

CLICK

"Girlfriend . . . shoot!" Gohan hung up the phone.
    
    Goten, who'd been eavesdropping on Gohan's conversation, spoke up. "Trunks is gonna enter if I enter! Can I? Huh?!"

"That's up to mom . . ."

"She already said yes, for the prize money. This is gonna be so much fun!" Goten jumped up and down, then frowned. "Hey, Mr. Vegeta isn't gonna enter either. Trunks said that he said that there's no competition out there for him."

"Is that so?"

"Yep! I'm gonna go call Trunks!" Goten ran off, leaving Gohan in the kitchen by himself.

*~*

"Have you seen Pikkon?" Goku asked a blue guy, show just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

Goku sighed and placed a hand on his hip. He'd been looking for Pikkon for a few hours now, and no one had seen him. All he wanted was a decent spar before dinner . . .

He went up to King Kai and roughly slapped him on the back. "Hey, have you seen Pikkon?"

King Kai stumbled forward, then caught himself. "No! Why would I know where _he _is?"

"I don't know. You're a kai!"

"I'm not his."

Goku rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Look, I'm just saying that's it's strange. It's like he's vanished. I asked almost everyone and flown all over the place and I haven't caught sight of his green self!"

King Kai dismissed the subject and wandered over to the Grand Kai's old model convertible and ran his hands over it.

Goku sighed and rubbed the back of his head. _Wherever you are, Pikkon, I hope you're okay . . ._

Author's Note: Okay, so I know that the cops don't know what happened to the bad guy, and neither does Videl, but that's coming up in the next chapter. Yes, the Pikkon thing is important.

****

ADVERTISING: Read 'In The Life of Son Gohan' by Satashi. This guy is really good. I've read most of his CCS stuff and this one is just great!

__

NEXT CHAPTER: It seems that someone is stalking Videl. Gohan gets Piccolo to look after her. Who is this stalker?! 


	18. II Figure in White

Author's Note: I'm back! 

I don't own DBZ.

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Eighteen *~*

The Figure in White

Videl hummed to herself softly as she wandered out onto her balcony and stared up at the stars. It was a nice night- the wind was blowing softly and the stars were bright. She leaned against the railing and sighed a bit.

She was a little upset that Gohan refused to enter the Tenkaichi Budokai, but she really didn't think there was anything she could do that would change his mind. Videl briefly wondered why he'd refused to enter. _Maybe it has something to do with his Dad and all . . ._

Videl froze when she heard the soft rustling of leaves. She peered over her balcony and down at the garden below. A streak of white caught her eye as a figure darted behind a tree.

Videl immediately went inside her room, shutting and locking the balcony behind her. She pulled the curtains down over the doors, then hopped onto her bed, picking up the phone. She dialed an internal number, the one to the main security room of the house.

"Hello?" answered a guard.

"This is Videl. I . . . thought I saw someone outside in the gardens below my balcony. Could you check it out?"

"Sure thing. Stay by the phone, and we'll contact you later."

Videl didn't move from the spot on her bed. Her heart was slamming wildly in her chest as she hugged her knees. _What if that prince guy sent someone after me? What if he's out there . . . waiting . . ._

She jumped and let out a squeal when, about fifteen minutes later, her phone rang. She picked it up with an unsteady hand. "H-hello?"

"We didn't see anyone, Ms. Videl. Are you _sure _you saw someone?"

"Uh . . . maybe it was an animal or something . . ."

"Maybe. Call us if you need anything."

When she hung the phone up, she hesitantly slipped off of the bed and opened the doors to her balcony. She peered out, then stepped into the cool night air, fixing her gaze on the ground below. Videl held her breath and waited.

There!

She saw the flash of white _again_ as the figure darted from behind the tree and into a set of bushes. Videl stumbled back into her room, then dialed the number again.

"I _saw _it again! Go check, please!"
    
    So the security men went back outside, and once again reported that they had found nothing.

"I'm not crazy," she muttered to herself. "I saw it! I know I did!"

Shaking her head the whole time, Videl securely closed and locked her balcony doors. She glanced over at her clock- 12:19 am.

She stifled a yawn and sat in the middle of her bed, hugging her knees once more and leaning back against her pillows. She didn't want to fall asleep, just in case someone _was _out there. But within a few hours, she nodded off, falling into a fitful sleep.

*~*

He floated up to the girl's balcony and landed silently on it, his white outer shirt billowing in the wind. He tilted his head ever so slightly so that he gaze through the tiny crack in between the curtains that hung over the door.

The girl was curled up on her bed, sleeping with her lights on. _I can't imagine what is so great about this female that he wants to have her in his possession. She looks like an average earth woman to me._

He studied her ki level, which, even in her sleep, was surprisingly high for a human from earth. _Interesting . . . She was even fast enough to catch sight of me . . . unless I'm slowing down._ He chuckled at that thought.

Maybe there _was _something more to this human female. And he was curious to know what it was.

*~*

When Videl woke up the next morning, the first thing she did was to throw open the balcony doors, then looked outside. She saw nothing that shouldn't have been there. Nothing was out of place.

__

If someone's watching you, Videl, of course they'd do it at night when it's dark. She retreated into her room, showered, then dressed.

She decided to go out for a jog around the park to work off some of her stress. Videl left her copter in the garage and walked over to the park and began to jog.

It was a little too early in the morning for anyone to be out, so she ran into very little people on her jog. Videl veered off of the main path and took a smaller one, one that she'd discovered herself. There was a really nice stream past a thick patch of trees. When she arrived at the stream, she sat on the grass and placed her hands in the cool water.

__

Snap.

Videl whirled around. Someone was there. She'd heard the snapping of a twig or some leaves, and she was positive that she wasn't hearing things. "Hello? Anyone out there?"

Of course no one answered.

A chill ran up Videl's spine as she prepared herself for a fight, if necessary. She could feel the eyes of someone on her. And they were close to her.
    
    Videl took off, racing back through the trail and onto the main one, then all the way back to her house. She went up to her room, got her keys and got into her copter.

Videl found herself fly just above the area where Gohan lived and decided to stop by his house. She wasn't sure if she should tell him of her suspicion, that someone was watching her. She could just tell him that she'd stopped by to train with him. Deciding on that excuse, she landed in front of the Son home, got out of her copter, and knocked on the door.

A slightly drowsy looking Gohan opened the door. "Oh, hey Videl. You're here early."

"Sorry, I just wanted to get started early on my training. Can I come in?"

"Oh, yeah! Come on in." He stepped back and let her into the house, closing the door behind her. "You want some breakfast?"

She realized that she'd skipped the meal, then nodded. "I'd love some."

They went into the kitchen where Gohan already had a stack of pancakes, a mound of eggs and a bunch of bacon sitting on the table. He gave her a plate and got her a glass of juice. "Help yourself."

Videl eyed the food before taking small portions of everything. "You made this?"

"Yeah. Mom needs a break."

"That's nice of you."

Gohan just grunted in reply, then sat in a chair across from her, filling up a plate for himself. As he stuffed his face, he asked, "Do you mind telling me the _real _reason you're here early?"

Videl nearly dropped her fork. "W-what do you mean?"

"I can . . . almost sense your distress, Videl. Don't ask me how, I just can."

"Nothing's wrong."

"Really?" Gohan glanced down at her shaking hand, which held a glass of orange juice. She followed his gaze, then set the glass on the table. "You can tell me. I might be able to help with your problem."

"I think someone's watching me," she blurted out quickly.

Gohan frowned. "_Watching_ you?" 

"Yeah . . . Last night, I'm _positive _I saw someone, or some_thing_ in the gardens below my balcony last night. But when the guards went out to check, they found nothing. And then, when I went to jog in the park, I felt someone watching me, but I didn't see anyone." She glanced up at him. "Do you think I'm imagining this? Am I paranoid?"

"I don't know . . . After all that's happened, I don't think that it's NOT possible."

"So then you believe me?"

"Yeah. I guess."

"Gee, that sounded reassuring," she muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"I'd like to have some sort of proof Videl. You may be worrying yourself over nothing."

"Whatever." She yawned, pushing away her plate of food. She wasn't hungry anymore.

Gohan saw how tired she was, and stood up. "Come on. I suspect you didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

She followed him into her room where he made her lie down in his bed. "Get some sleep, okay? We'll train later." Gohan closed his door behind him as he left.

Gohan wandered outside where he cleared his thoughts and searched for any unusual power levels, or a ki that he didn't recognize. He stiffened when he felt a tiny ki, one that was obviously being suppressed. Whoever had the ki was close by, but when he looked around, he didn't see anyone. 

Gohan went back into the house and suddenly, Goten came tearing down the hall, racing by Gohan to get to the kitchen. Gohan sighed and grabbed the back of his brother's shirt, lifting him off of the ground.

"Hiya Gohan! I smell food!!"

"Pipe down, alright? Videl's here and she's trying to get some sleep."

Goten's mouth formed a tiny 'o' and his eyes widened. "Got ya." When his feet were set back down of the floor, he tiptoed into the kitchen with a finger over his mouth to keep himself quiet.

Gohan went back into his room, shutting the door behind him. Once again, Videl was asleep in his bed. Thoughts of his dream from the other night flashed in his head, and he blushed. He kind of liked the idea that he and Videl could be . . . _together_. And the sight of her in his bed looked so right . . .

__

Like I'd ever have the guts to tell her how I feel. I'm brave enough to fight off dangerous enemies, but I can't tell a girl that I like her. Shoot!

Gohan still had the cot in his room, so he pulled it out and sat down on it, watching Videl as she slept. Eventually, his eyelids began to feel heavy and he, too, fell asleep.

*~*

The young human boy was now asleep. He quietly walked up to the window and peered inside. There was the girl, asleep again. _I guess I disturbed her last night . . ._

His thoughts and gaze went to the teenaged boy lying on a cot. He frowned, remembering the previous incident.

The boy had sensed his presence.

It was a little hard to believe that someone on the mud-ball planet called earth had the ability to recognize ki and it's different levels. He began to read the boy's level, then muttered, "Impossible!"

After spending just a few days on earth, observing it's people and their behavior, he'd come to the conclusion that the planet held no life form capable of competing with the evil that loomed in the future. But this boy, a _mere boy_, had a surprising high ki level, and a familiar one.

__

What's this? Familiar?

His eyes shifted as a little boy came out of the back of the house with a piece of some sort of food in his hand. He was staring at the ground, mumbling something. This boy was familiar looking, too, as if he'd seen him somewhere. But that wasn't possible.

He quickly darted into the thick patch of woods behind the circular home, but not before the young boy had caught a glimpse of something white running away from the window of his house.

*~*

Goten's mouth hung open as he stared at the trees, the piece of pie he'd been holding slipping from his hand. Had he actually seen a _ghost_?

Well, he's seen something _white_, and he had immediately decided that it was a ghost. What else could it have been? He didn't know of an animal that could move _that fast_ and was as tall as the ghost was. Then again, he was only a little kid and didn't know very much in the first place.

Goten walked up to the window where his ghost had been standing and looked inside. Videl and Gohan were sleeping peacefully inside.

__

Weird. Why would a ghost stare at them?

Goten went back inside and into the living room where Chichi was watching the news. He climbed onto his mother's lap and placed his head against her chest. "Ma . . ."

"Yes Goten?"

"Do you . . . believe in ghosts?"

Chichi looked down at him. "What? Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

"Well . . . I'm not sure. I mean, I've never _seen _one, but other people have claimed they have and stuff like that."

Goten frowned. "I thought I saw something white outside, standing at Gohan's window, that's all. It was really fast, so I couldn't see it very well."

"Maybe . . .you should tell Gohan what you saw later, okay?"

"Okay."

Goten was eager to tell Gohan what he'd seen and was unable to sit still for more than ten minutes. An hour and a half later, when Gohan and Videl emerged from his room, Goten attacked them, jumping up and down.

"Guess what I saw, guess what I saw!" he exclaimed.

Videl grinned. "What?"

"A GHOST!! Isn't that neat?"
    
    Gohan laughed. "A ghost? You sure about that?"

"Well, I was going outside when I saw something _big _and _white_ running into the woods. It had been staring into your window, Gohan!"

Videl gasped and glanced at Gohan. "White? You're sure?"

"Yep!"

She shivered. Her stalker followed her all the way out here? "What I saw last night . . . was white too," she muttered.

Gohan stared down at her, then put two and two together. So the person watching her had followed her to his house. _If the guy got out here without her noticing, then he must have been flying, which would explain the ki I felt earlier. But if he wanted to take Videl, why didn't he do it last night, when she was sleeping, or while she was flying out here?_

Goten looked at both of them. "Are you two keeping something from me?" he asked, pouting. "I wanna know what's going on!"

"So do I," said Chichi, joining the group in the hallway.

Gohan led them into the living room, where they all sat. He, with the help of Videl, explained the situation to his mother and little brother. Chichi, naturally, was worried out of her mind.

"Kami, Videl! You could be in serious danger!" said his mother, sounding horrified.

"But Mom, if this guy wanted Videl, I think he would've taken her by now. I mean, he could've taken her last night," Gohan put in, not wanting to scare Videl.

"Why don't you stay here?" Chichi suggested. "You'll be safer."

Videl sighed. "I'd love to, but my Dad would have a fit."

Gohan stood up and pulled his mother aside. "I'm going to run up to Dende's for a second, okay? I'll be back soon," he whispered to her, then left the house.

"Where's he going?" asked Videl.

"Ahhh . . . to a friend's place to . . . ask for help!"

"How's he going to get anywhere? Does he need a ride?"

Chichi bit her bottom lip, then rubbed her hands together. "No! Ummm . . . Bulma gave us a capsule jet a while ago."

Videl looked suspicious. Chichi's hesitant voice and her nervous movements gave her away. _Well, don't they like to lie a lot? _"Sure . . ."

*~*

"You want me to _what_?" Piccolo asked, looking at Gohan like he'd just grown five extra heads.

"Aww, come on, Piccolo! You're the only one I know who _doesn't _have a life!"

A muscle in Piccolo's mouth twitched as Gohan slapped a hand over his mouth and Dende chuckled. "Oops, sorry. You know what I mean! Everyone else has a family and/or job and they can't spend the whole day looking after her!"

Piccolo sighed and closed his eyes. He _did not _want to look after Gohan's little girlfriend all day. He had better things to do, like meditate, train and . . . "What's in it for me, kid?"

Gohan rolled his eyes. "You're beginning to sound like Vegeta!"

"Take that back! I do not."

"Um, sorry? Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut . . ."

"Maybe," Piccolo grumbled. Dende just snickered.

"PLEASE, PLEASE, Piccolo? Hopefully, you won't have to watch her for very long. Maybe you'll catch this guy who's after her!"

This caught the older Namek's attention. There could be a fight . . . It had been so long since he had a decent spar with anyone. _Disgusting. Not I AM sounding like Vegeta._ "Fine, Gohan, I'll do it."

Gohan ran up to Piccolo and was just about to hug him when Piccolo gave him a 'back off' glance. He stepped back and laughed. "Er, okay then! Do you know where she lives?"

"I'll be able to find her. I'll be watching when she leaves your place, okay?"

"Great! And thanks again!"

Dende chuckled as Gohan flew off. "Ahh, the things you do for him. He has you wrapped around his finger, you know."

Piccolo glared at the Guardian, then, with his cape billowing out behind him in his usual dramatic way, flew into the air and headed towards the Son home.

*~*

He grinned as he watched the boy land not too far from his house and began to converse with a green man. _Green . . . ha! He must be a Namek, and not a Midorian. _[1] _But what is a Namek doing here?_

He briefly pushed the subject of the Namek out of his mind. Something more important was going down. _So he's on to me . . . and he's brought back up. _He read the Namekian's ki level, then snorted. Unless this guy was suppressing his ki, he posed no threat to him if he decided to get in the way of his mission.

He watched as the Namek flew high into the air, so that he was barely visible, while the boy went inside his house. Soon, the girl emerged, along with another female and the little boy he'd seen earlier. They spoke for a while, then the girl hopped into her flying contraption and took off. He frowned as the Namek followed her. Then, as the older boy suddenly changed into a green tunic with a black, skintight thing underneath it and flew off after them, he groaned.

He would have quiet a job on his hands, avoiding both of them. He glanced up at the sky and shook his head. _This girl better be worth all of this trouble!_

*~*

Videl noticed nothing out of the ordinary as she flew back to her house, turning up the radio loudly to drown out her thoughts. She was very nervous about this whole stalker business, and felt unsafe flying back to Satan City by herself.

She glanced out of her side window, then gasped as Saiyaman waved at her. She nearly lost control of the jet copter, but quickly regained it.

Saiyaman was mouthing, 'Stop' while flying alongside of her.

Videl set the copter on hover and rolled down her window. "What is it?"

"Uh, can we talk?"

"Sure. But how are we supposed to do that when we're miles above the ground?"

Saiyaman looked over his shoulder at something, then said, "How about I get into the passenger side while you fly back home?"

"Fine." She reached across and unlocked the other door. He flew around the front of the copter, then got in, closing the door behind him. She watched as he buckled his seat belt. Videl returned the jet to fly mode. "So, what do you want?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"How touching," she muttered. "But thanks. For saving me, I mean."

"No problem."

"Whatever happened to the guy who kidnapped me?"

"Ahh . . . he killed himself."

Videl glanced at him. "WHAT?! You're kidding!"

"I'm not. He didn't want me or anyone else to torture any information out of him, so he did himself in. I'll spare you the details."

"Thanks. So, were you following me?"

" . . . not really! I was . . . in the area!"

"Riiiiiight." She grinned playfully, then glanced over at him. "Why, Saiyaman, I'm beginning to think that you _like _me!"

He was beginning to sweat. "Er . . . of course I like you! Why wouldn't I?!"

"Don't play with me. You know what I mean." She sent him a sly glance. "Do you think I'm cute?"

__

Oh, gosh . . . what is she DOING?!! "I . . . uh . . . I don't have the liberty to say . . ."

"What do you mean, 'I don't have the liberty'? It's a yes or no question!" She waved her hand. "But never mind, I can tell you do. I'm flattered!"

"I . . . I never said anything! What are you talking about?!"

"Well, you don't look too bad yourself . . . but with a body like that, your face is probably hideous. Is that why you wear that trashcan on your head?" teased Videl.

__

She likes my BODY?!! Wait a minute . . . she's been **CHECKING ME OUT?!!** "Ahhhhhh . . ."

"Why don't you let me see who you are?"

"Ummmm . . ." _She thinks I'm hot . . . or Saiyaman, anyway . . ._

"Or you 'don't have the liberty' to do that? Hmm?"

"That's right! I don't!"

She chuckled, then looked him over in a way that made Gohan squirm. "You're strange, you know that? I complement you, and you don't even-"

"Sorry! You're . . . nice looking . . . I guess."

Videl was hurt. She was _actually _hurt. "That's it?"

"Well, you called my face hideous and you haven't even seen it yet!"

"Then why don't you show me?"

Gohan realized that she'd backed him into a corner. "Never mind. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. You're very, very pretty."

Videl blushed. _TWO very's? Wow. _"Gee, thanks, I guess."

"Uh, yeah! Look, I have to go . . ." Without waiting for her to stop, he threw open the door, hopped out and closed it back, flying away.

"Weirdo. A real quack . . ."

__

A very, very good looking quack . . .

*~*

Piccolo chuckled slightly when Gohan left Videl's copter, his face as red as a tomato. "What happened, Gohan? You're blushing . . ."

"I am NOT!" he cried frantically. "Forget about that. Make sure she doesn't go anywhere without you knowing."

"Don't _worry _Gohan. I swear, you're worse than your mother sometimes . . ."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Go home and get some rest, Okay?" He shot forward, getting a little closer to Videl's copter while staying out of sight.

Gohan sighed and headed back home. He couldn't help but worry about Videl. _I hope Piccolo is able to protect her . . ._

*~*

When Videl returned home, she immediately went up to her room. She began to pace back and forth as it got closer and closer to nightfall.

Night finally came and Videl was now more paranoid than ever. She locked her bedroom door and went into her bathroom, leaving that door open. She quickly showered and, as she was walking back into her room while running a brush through her hair, she paused outside of her balcony doors. Videl had a strange feeling that someone was out there.

__

This may be stupid, but . . . She unlocked and opened the balcony doors, then jumped back in surprise. Videl was so shocked that she couldn't even scream.

A _green man _was sitting Indian-style on a tree branch hanging just over her balcony. He stared at her, not saying anything.

"Who . . . WHAT . . ."

"Don't be afraid of me. I'm not here to hurt you."

The man's- was he even HUMAN- voice was hard, yet soft at the same time. She stepped out into the night air. "Who are you?"

"A friend of Gohan's. He wanted me to watch over you."

Videl was flattered. "He _did_? Wow . . . uh, thank you, I guess."

"Gohan is a very close friend of mine. I would do anything for him," he said truthfully.

"Wow . . . You really must care for him."

He didn't say anything.

"Ahh . . . I'm going to take a stab in the dark here. You wouldn't happen to be Piccolo, the guy who blew up the moon?" asked Videl.

The man looked startled. "He told you about that?"

"Um, not really. It's a long story. So, Piccolo, where are you from?"

" . . ."

"What's wrong? Are you from outer space?" she asked as if the idea was totally ridiculous.

"What if I was?"

"WHAT?!! You're kidding!"

"I'm not the joking type. I am from the planet Namek."

"Which would explain the weird clothes, pointy ears and green skin."

"Right."

"Ohhh . . . man, Gohan has some weird friends." She gasped, then added. "No offense."

He just smirked at her. "Shouldn't you be sleeping or something?"

Videl could take a hint. "Sure thing. Whatever." She left the doors to her balcony open and retreated to her room. She clicked off the lights and climbed into her bed, feeling much safer, for some reason, now that this Namek was watching her.

*~*

A few hours into Piccolo's watch, something caught the Namek's sharp eyes. A bush to his left had just shifted softly. _It could be the wind . . . or . . . _He raised and eyebrow when he saw something white sticking out of the bush.

__

. . . Maybe not . . .

Piccolo launched himself at the tree and grinned triumphantly when a figure quickly crawled out and stood up. He raised an eyebrow at the Midorian that stood before him. _What in the world is a Midorian doing all the way out here? And working with a bunch of Saiyans?_

The Midorian crossed his arms over his chest. "So, I've been found out . . ."

"Just who the hell are you? And what are you doing out here?"

"Why, I thought Namek's were smarter than that. What does it look like- I'm a Midorian."

"I know that," snarled Piccolo. "What do you want with that girl?"

"This doesn't concern you."

Piccolo growled and punched the stranger in the face. He stumbled back, then chuckled. "Is that the best you've got?"

The Midorian launched his own attack, pinning Piccolo to the ground. "I am Pikkon, the mighty Midorian champion! Don't mess with me!" [2] Pikkon pushed Piccolo further into the dirt, pressing his arm into his throat. "I'm trying to HELP this pathetic excuse for a planet by keeping her _safe_ and-"

They both froze when they heard, "WHO'S OUT THERE?!" coming from inside the mansion and a light flicked on. Pikkon growled, then flew off into the air. Piccolo ducked behind a bush just before Hercule himself steppe outside and looked around in the dark. When he was satisfied with what he saw, he went back inside the house.

Piccolo sighed in frustration as he searched for any signs of the mysterious Pikkon, but found nothing. He went back up to his tree to keep watch, although, by the passionate words of Pikkon the Midorian, he wasn't sure if he was needed any longer.

When the sun began to rise, Piccolo realized that Pikkon hadn't returned.
    
    Author's Note: Anyone confused? E-mail me then! Everything will thing be explained in the next chapter.

[1] This is the name for Pikkon's race that I made up. Midoriro is the Japanese word for green, so . . . If he has an actual race, then let me know. He says he must be a Namek because, well, there are some obvious differences between Pikkon and Piccolo.

[2] Who saw this coming?! Haha!

****

ADVERTISING: Read School Dayz by Nik Nak. It's about Goten and Trunks in school and it's pretty cute. ****

__

NEXT CHAPTER: Piccolo tells Gohan about the mysterious Pikkon. Everything about the enemy is revealed.


	19. II Pikkon Speaks

Author's Note: There's a lot of technical stuff, explanations, nothing too great in this chapter . . .

I saw a commercial for the Saiyaman action figure!! You can take off his head so that he's either wearing the helmet or the bandana with the shades! So cool . . . I want one!! It's the only decent DBZ action figure I've seen here! (That one where you could stick the smaller action figure into another skin thing was creepy . . .) Oh, yeah, I don't own DBZ.

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Nineteen *~*

Pikkon Speaks

Videl woke up that morning and instantly remembered that Gohan's friend, Piccolo, was outside sitting in her tree. She got out of bed and momentarily stretched, then went over to her balcony. She raised an eyebrow when she caught sight of the Namek mediating while floating in the air.

"What happened to you?" she asked, eyeing his slightly dirty turban and torn outfit, trying to ignore the fact that he was _floating_ in the air, not sitting on the branch as he had been last night.

He sighed and opened his eyes. "I had a run in with your 'stalker' last night," he muttered.

Videl gasped. "Really?! Did you catch him? Where is he?"

"He got away. But I really don't think he's the one you should be worrying about."

"What do you mean?"
    
    Suddenly, the door flew open and Hercule stalked into the room. "Who are you talk . . . WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HE DOING HERE?!" shrieked Hercule, pointing at Piccolo and hiding behind Videl. He recognized the green man from the Cell games- after all, there weren't many green people on earth.

"You know Piccolo, Dad?" asked Videl curiously.

"Ahhhhh . . . I didn't say that!! I meant, WHAT in the world is he?"

Piccolo just shook his head. "I'm heading out. Take care of yourself . . . Videl." He flew off.

__

So Gohan's friend can fly . . . weird . . . well, I really don't think HE'S Saiyaman. His voice is way too deep. Videl sighed and pushed her father away from her. "What do you want?"
    
    Hercule found his backbone again, straightening up. "I want to know what you were doing talking to some green freak?!"

"He's not a freak! He was protecting me against a stalker-"

"SOMEONE'S STALKING YOU?! And you didn't tell me?!"

Videl winced and rubbed her ear. "Calm down, Dad! I'm fine, obvious, and now you know!"

Hercule glared at her. "Are you leading some sort of double life? You're running around with all these _weird _people and stuff-"

Videl rolled her eyes and shoved her Dad out of her room. "I'm not doing anything, okay? Leave me alone!" She closed her door and locked it.

Now that her father was gone and she was left with some piece and quiet, Videl's thoughts went to something Piccolo had said.

__

"But I really don't think he's the one you should be worrying about."

I wonder . . . what in the world did he mean by that?
    
    *~*

Gohan was awakened by loud knocking on the front door of his house. He groaned and rolled over in his bed, pulling the pillow over his head to drown the sound out.

"GOHAN, GET UP AND GET THE DOOR!!!!!!!" shouted his mother from her room.

__

Better not ignore her . . . it's too early for the frying pan . . . Gohan sighed and climbed out of his bed, shuffling down the hall and to the front door. He opened it and blinked, seeing Piccolo standing there. "Jeez, Piccolo, _some_ people _like_ to sleep!" Gohan blinked _again_, then said, "Aren't you supposed to be with Videl? What are you doing here? And what happened to your clothes? What-"

"If you'd give me a chance to talk, then I'd _tell _you!"

Gohan chuckled softly, then rubbed the back of his head. "Oops, sorry . . . Umm, come in?"

Piccolo stepped into the house, old memories of the times he'd spent with Goku in the Son home and in the 'backyard' resurfacing. After seven years, he still missed his old friend . . .

"What's all this about, Piccolo?"

He returned to the present. "Last night I had a . . . little talk with our stalker."

"A TALK?! You were supposed to beat him up and catch him, not talk! Gee, Piccolo, you must be getting soft in your old age . . ." Gohan winced as Piccolo sent him a piercing look. "Sorry. Go on."

"It turns out our guy's name is Pikkon, and he's not a Saiyan. He's a Midorian, a race that's not in this area of the universe. Midorians are green, like Namekians, but their heads are . . . how can I say this . . . sort of long."

"Long? Can you be more specific?"

Piccolo made a gesture with his hands. "Like this. The Midorians are know for their speed and unique attacks."

Gohan nodded. "Okay . . . so what happened last night?"

Piccolo told him the story. "He claims he wants to protect your girlfriend, not harm her."

"Protect her? And she's not my girlfriend," Gohan added naturally.

"And the planet, or at least, that's what he claims. The Midorian race is also known for it's honesty, integrity, and pride, which is why I think Pikkon was telling the truth."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "You _believe _him? You believe some green guy who pops up out of nowhere, who hides in bushes, and who's working for an unknown source? He could be evil, a talented liar or something . . ."

Piccolo sighed. "We trust Vegeta, don't we? Well, don't _you_?"

"Aww, that's different!"

"How?"

"Umm . . . er . . . give me a second . . ."

"Think about it this way, Gohan. If Pikkon wanted to get rid of you or me so that we wouldn't get in the way of any 'evil plans' he may have up his sleeve, then he could've done it while he was here, looking after Videl while she was at your place. He hasn't tried to kill us, unlike a _certain someone_."

Gohan had to admit that Piccolo was making some very good points. "Well, if he is working for the good guys, then WHO is he working for?"

"What makes you think he's working for someone?" asked Piccolo.

"He called earth a mud ball planet, which indicates to me that he couldn't care less about what happened here. So, if he's trying to _protect _earth, someone must be _telling_ him what to do," rationalized Gohan, sounding much like some college professor.

Piccolo raised an eyebrow. [A/N: Does he even _have_ any?] "Hmm . . . good observation. You must get your brain from Chichi, because Goku would never have been to pick that up."

Gohan chuckled. "I guess."

Piccolo got serious again. "Well, if he's working for someone, then this _someone _must know more about our enemy than we do, because, for some reason, Pikkon seems to think that the safety of your girlfriend has something to do with the safety of planet earth."

"She's not my girlfriend," Gohan mumbled, staring at the ground. "I wonder . . . I'll be back!" He dashed into his room, then came back, holding the two _soochi _in his hands. "What if the bad guys want Videl because of _these_?"

"What do you mean?"
    
    "Remember when I told you that Vile was trying to stick something in Videl's neck when I rescued her? Well, it turns out the white one reacts to me, while the pink reacts to Videl. And Vile's prince said 'drain her' . . . with the soochi, probably . . . so . . . what exactly did they want to drain?"

Piccolo was silent, then almost jumped when Gohan shouted. "ENERGY!!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Man, I should've put this all together sooner! I fought that guy who _drained people_ at Satan City mall . . . and the people who were attacked said they felt _weak_ . . . because some of their energy had been taken! And he had something in his pocket . . . maybe another type of _soochi_!!" Gohan grinned. "Man, I'm _smart_!!"

Piccolo took a step back, seeing that Gohan was getting worked up. "I see . . . it all fits . . ."

"Yep! And since these _soochi _only act crazy around Videl and me, we must have some sort of . . . _special _energy . . . or something like that . . ." Gohan's voice drifted off as he stared up at the ceiling, engrossed in his thoughts.

Piccolo watched for a few minutes as Gohan stared at nothing, and was about to shake him out of his thoughts when Goten came running into the living room, launching himself at the Namek while shouting, "Piccolo's here!! Piccolo's here!!" over and over again. Chichi followed.

She looked at her older son, who was oblivious to the fact that Goten and climbing up Piccolo's cape. "What's wrong with him?" she asked.

"He's probably wallowing in the fact that he's so smart," snickered Piccolo.

"OF COURSE my baby's smart!" she cried. "What are you talking about?"

He filled Chichi on everything that had happened and Goten stopped his accent up 'Mt. Piccolo' to listen.

"Gohan figured out all of _that_? Wow!" exclaimed Goten when Piccolo was done. "I wanna be that smart!"

Chichi smiled. "Why, Goten, why don't you climb up Gohan? Maybe he'll snap out of it?"

Goten ran up to his brother and began to pull on his long sleeping pants. Gohan blinked several times, then realized that Goten was about to pull down his pants. He scooped his brother up off the floor and placed him on his shoulders. "What happened? What's going?"

"If you hadn't been in outer space, then you would've known," Piccolo muttered.

"Sorry about that . . . but I was thinking . . . what would the Saiyans want with energy?" said Gohan. "And, I'd like to meet this Pikkon guy. Maybe he'll know why there are still Saiyans when Vegeta-sei was blown up a long time ago."

"Whatever they want with the energy, it can't be good for earth," Chichi said.

Piccolo nodded in agreement. "How are we going to question Pikkon if we don't know where he is? It's not like he's going to come to us."

Gohan chewed on his bottom lip for a while, then grinned. "Oh, yes he will."

Piccolo had never before seen the look that Gohan had on his face now. "You have something in mind?"

Gohan nodded. "He WILL come to us. He'll follow Videl."

"Are you sure?" asked his mother. "After his encounter with Piccolo, he might stay away."

Gohan shook his head. "No way! He wouldn't. No offense, Piccolo, but it sounds like he had a pretty easy time holding you down. He probably thinks that Piccolo isn't strong enough to protect Videl properly. And, if Midorians are the way you described, Piccolo, then I think he would stay with his assignment until he received other orders."

"So what do you suppose we do?" Piccolo questioned.

"We bring Videl over here and call the others over in advance, making sure that they all mask their ki's. Then, Pikkon will follow her, and we can gang up on him. There's no way he'd be able to get away from me, Piccolo, Vegeta, Yamcha _and _Krillin."

"And me and Trunks!" exclaimed Goten.

"I don't think so." Chichi glared at her youngest son. "You and Trunks will NOT get in the way!"

"Awww . . . we never get to have any fun . . ."

"Alright, Gohan, let's get started setting this up," suggested Piccolo.

"Okay! I'll go call everyone." Gohan pulled Goten off of his shoulders and set him on the floor, then went into the kitchen and picked up the phone. First, he dialed the Capsule Corp number.

"Wuzzup? Briefs residence," Trunks muttered from the other end.

"Hey, Trunks."

"GOHAN!! Hi, are you coming over?"

"Not exactly. I need to speak to Vegeta."

" . . . What do you want to talk to him for? I thought he hated your guts!"

Gohan chuckled. "He probably does! But it's really important, so . . ."

"Oh! Okay, hold on." There was some shuffling on the other end, then someone picked up.

"What do you want?" growled Vegeta. "I was in the middle of a good spar, so this had better be good."

"Good morning to you too, Vegeta."

"I don't have time to _play_, boy, so-"

"Okay, okay, okay!" Gohan told him about Pikkon, what Gohan had figured out and his plan. "So, what do you think?"

" . . ."

"I take it that means you'll be over as soon as possible?"
    
    Vegeta grunted in reply.

"Oh, yeah, and you can bring Trunks to keep Goten busy so he won't get in the way."

"I'll be over in thirty minutes." Click.

Gohan then phoned the rest of the guys, telling them what he'd told Vegeta. He emerged from the kitchen when he was done. "Say, Mom, do you think you could make some breakfast?"

"Oh, I forgot! Sure thing." She went into the kitchen.

"Are you going to call Videl?!" Goten jumped up and down. "I want her to come over!"

"Not yet. I want the others to get here first so everyone can get in place."

Piccolo, who was leaning against a wall, stared at Gohan. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Constructing this plan, figuring everything out . . ."

Gohan chuckled guiltily. "Yeah . . . I guess."

Within thirty minutes, everyone arrived, including Juuhachi, who Gohan thought would've stayed on Master Roshi's island. When Gohan asked her why she was here, she glared at him and said, "Do you want me to go or something?"

Gohan rubbed the back of his head. "Gosh, no! The more, the better!"

"That's what I thought." And then the issue was dropped.

Chichi prepared more than enough food to feed all of her guests, and, as they sat around the kitchen table with Goten, Trunks, and Vegeta stuffing their faces as fast as they could, Gohan, who'd only eaten less than half of what he normally did, [A/N: @_@ Wow . . .] was coming up with a useful strategy.

Gohan drew a diagram of his house and the area around it on a piece of blank paper and placed it in the middle of the table for everyone to see. "Mom, you'll have a part in this. When Videl comes over, she'll ask for me. You need to tell her to go around to the _right_ side of the house to find me." He pointed to the side he was talking about with a pencil. "Make sure she goes _that way_, okay? Good. We'll have everyone else stationed at a specific spot so we can jump out at him at the same time. Vegeta, you'll be hiding behind the bush here," he pointed at the bush on his diagram, "-and-"

"HOLD ON! I refuse to hide behind some bush like a coward!" protested Vegeta, looking up for his bowl off _raamen_. [1]

"Aw, come _on_, Vegeta," muttered Krillin. "Don't be difficult."

The Saiyan Prince glared at Krillin. "Shut up!"

"Fine, Vegeta, I'll hide behind the bush," said Gohan. He began to place the others on different places and then said, "Vegeta, then, will be the one to confront Pikkon and distract him. Then, I'll give the signal," he whistled, sounding much like a bird, "and you all will jump out."

"THAT sounds more like it," grumbled Vegeta, returning to his bowl of _raamen_.

"What are Goten and I going to do?" asked Trunks.

"Take Videl outside and keep her company while we question Pikkon," answered Gohan as the boys groaned. "We'll have to bring Pikkon inside so we can question him, so we'll need several of you guys to drag him inside. Vegeta, Piccolo and I will do that after we jump out. We need to go after him _quickly_. Got it?"
    
    They all nodded. "Good. Now, I'll phone Videl . . ."

*~*

Videl was stretching in her room, preparing to take a morning jog, when the phone rang. She got off the floor and grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, Videl. It's Gohan."

"Oh, hey. What's up?"

"I was wondering . . . if you wanted to come over and train today."

"Of course I do! When?"

"Now. As in, _right_ now."

Videl raised an eyebrow. Gohan sounded a little excited, too excited to be happy that she was coming over. "Okay . . . I'll be over as soon as possible."

"Great! See you then!" He hung up the phone.

She stared down at the receiver in her head, then hung up too. _What is Gohan up to?_

*~*

Pikkon watched as the girl left her home and got into the yellow flying machine, taking off. He took to the air and followed her.

He'd returned to his watch shortly after blowing up at the Namek the previous night. The only reason why Pikkon returned _at all_ was because he decided that the Namek wasn't strong enough to keep the girl out of harm. If anything happened to the girl, HE would not be happy, and he didn't want to get on HIS bad side.

After a while, he realized that the girl was heading to the house she'd gone to the day before. _I bet she and that boy are lovers, or else why would she come here all the time?_

Pikkon hung back as the girl landed her flying contraption in front of the house. When she went inside, he landed on the grass and darted behind a tree.

Inside the house, Videl was asking Chichi where Gohan was. Chichi pretended to think, then said, "Oh, he's outside!" She took Videl's arm, led her out of the house, and pointed her in the direction she needed to go. "Go _that way_, okay? You'll find him _that way_."

"Okay, I got it. _That way_."

Chichi nodded and gave her a little nudge and went back into the house. Videl slowly walked off in that direction. "Gohan? Gohan, you out there?"

Meanwhile, Pikkon was following her, walking quietly just behind her.

"Where _is _that boy?" muttered Videl. "If this is some sort of trick, I'll kick his ass. This is _sooo _not funny, Son Gohan!"

Gohan held his breath as she walked past the bush he was hiding behind. He spotted Pikkon walking not too far behind her. _There he is . . ._

As soon as Pikkon neared the area where the Z-Fighters were hiding, Vegeta flew down off of the roof and right in Pikkon's path.

"Where-" muttered Pikkon, halting immediately.

Gohan gave his whistle and everyone jumped out, grabbing hold of some part of Pikkon to hold him down.

Videl, who had turned around at the strange whistle, gasped when she saw Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo and some other people jump out of nowhere and ambush a tall green guy, wrestling him to the ground. "Gohan, what-"

"Get out of here, Videl! Get into the house!" shouted Gohan, grabbing Pikkon's arm and twisting it behind his back.

This time, Videl didn't need to be told twice. She raced into the house where Trunks and Goten, who took their small part in everything very seriously, immediately rushed her out of the back door and out into the woods.

Meanwhile, the others were still trying to contain Pikkon, who was thrashing and growling like a wild animal. He managed to throw Yamcha off of him and into the side of the Son home. The same happened to Krillin.

Gohan growled in frustration and grabbed both of the Midorian's arms and pulled them behind his back. He hooked one arm around Pikkon's neck, successfully stilling him. Krillin opened the back door, while massaging his neck with the other hand. Gohan dragged Pikkon inside of the house and threw him into a kitchen chair. The others filed into the room, Pikkon and Vegeta blocking the back door, and the others standing in front of any other possible exit.

Gohan regained his composure and looked the green man over. He could see the resemblance between him and Piccolo. He was surprised to see Pikkon staring strangely at him. "What?"

"You . . . remind me of someone . . ."

Vegeta snorted. "Can we start the interrogation, _please_?"

Gohan ignored him. "How so?"

"There was someone I met in Other World . . ."

Gohan's eyes widened. "Hey, my Dad, Son Goku, is in Other World!"

A grin appeared on Pikkon's face as he remembered Son Goku and the Other World Tournament. _Well, that would explain the boy's high ki level. _"I fought Goku in the Other World Tournament. He defeated me."

"Really?! Wow. Say, how is he? Has he mentioned me, or-"

"WE ARE NOT HERE TO CHAT!!" exclaimed Vegeta, who looked extremely agitated. "Ask him the damn questions so we can _go_!"
    
    "Okay, okay, Vegeta! Calm down! Umm, if you were dead, then how come you're alive? You don't have a halo," noticed Gohan.

"I was brought back to life, obviously."

"By who?"

" . . ."

"Oooookay . . . who sent you here?"

"The same person who brought me back to life."

Vegeta growled, stepping forward and making a fist with his hands. "Answer the damn questions properly, or I'll-"

Gohan held up his hand, silencing him. "It's alright Vegeta. Maybe we can make some sort of deal."
    
    "A deal?" scoffed Piccolo.

"Yes, a deal. Look, in exchange for some information about the enemy, we can leave his 'boss' out of this," reasoned Gohan, glancing at everyone. "He probably knows a lot more than we do."

"I say we beat the information out of him," grumbled Vegeta, but stepped back anyway.

Pikkon watched them carefully. It was obvious that the boy was the 'ringleader', because he was asking all the questions and the short, angry man had quieted at the boy's simple gesture. "I'll answer your questions, if you answer mine."

Gohan nodded. "Shoot."

__

I guess that mean ask. Weird earth expressions . . . "What are your names? You probably know mine."

"What do you want our names for?" asked Yamcha. He didn't trust Pikkon at all, even though he'd said that he knew Goku.

"If I'm even going to _consider_ working with you all, I think I should know who you are."

Gohan began to name everyone and then himself. "What else do you want to know?"

"Are you the leader?"

"Ahh . . . why do you ask?"

"I just want to know. You're a little young to be a leader, but it seems like you're in charge. You're asking all of the questions."

Gohan couldn't answer. Krillin spoke up. "Sure, he's our leader. With Goku gone, he's the most qualified." The others began to nod, except for Vegeta and Juuhachi.

"Most _qualified_?" muttered Pikkon.

"Gohan defeated the strongest opponent the earth has ever seen seven years ago, when he was just a boy," said Piccolo, causing Gohan to blush a bit. "None of us would have stood a chance against the monster."

Pikkon was surprised. "Not even Goku?"

"My Dad wasn't strong enough then, but for some reason, I was," answered Gohan. Anxious to drop the Cell subject, he said, "Do you want to know anything else?"

"Yes. One thing. Are you and the girl lovers? Just out of curiosity."

Gohan turned bright red as the others snickered and laughed. "NO, we're just friends! That's all, nothing more . . ."

"Right . . ."

"Okay, it's my turn! Why don't you tell us what you know about the enemy?" Gohan quickly said.

"You are up against the most blood-thirsty, evil race that ever existed- the Saiyans."

Gohan shifted at the description of his race. _Surely they weren't **all** evil and bent on destroying planets. Look at Vegeta . . . okay, bad example . . . well, he's okay NOW._

Vegeta spoke up. "The Saiyans were destroyed long ago, along with Vegeta-sei. I should know- I'm the prince of all Saiyans."

"Is that so? It seems your race, then, has adopted a new prince, or more like three new princes. It all started when King Vegeta was about to go against Freeza. He secretly loaded a huge space ship with the Queen, his most promising fighters, scientists, doctors and others and sent it out in space, just in case something happened. As we all know, Freeza blew up Vegeta-sei. However, the spaceship safely made it away from the planet just in time.

The spaceship from spaceport to spaceport, in search of a place to settle. Soon, the Queen died, and King Vegeta's second in command took the throne. It was a few months after the Queen's death when the Saiyans came across a deserted planet with perfect living conditions. Of course they landed there and the new King named the planet Vegeta-sei in memory of his former home.

The Saiyans established themselves and began to rebuild their civilization. Things were peaceful for the race for a while. The King had three sons very late into his life and, recently, he passed away. Before he died, he sent the eldest of his three sons, Rattai, who happened to be the wildest, out on a purging mission to hopefully settle him down.

The King formulated a list of useless planets in the solar system, with earth the last on the list. Rattai has purged all of the other planets and now is working on this one."

Gohan digested the information. So there was a whole _planet_ full of Saiyans out there somewhere. "But that doesn't explain what Rattai wants with Videl. Does it have something to do with her energy?"

Pikkon nodded. "Yes. On one of the planets Rattai destroyed, he heard of a legend that dated back millions and millions of years. The legend spoke of two powerful beings, one male, one female. Their energy would be superior to any other that ever existed. Videl happens to be this female."

"Which would make Gohan the male," muttered Piccolo.

Pikkon glanced at him. "What makes you say that?"

Gohan pulled the _soochi_ from his pocket and showed them to Pikkon. "I've guessed that these react to whoever holds the energy that Rattai is looking for. The white one reacts to me, and the pink one reacts to Videl."

"Love and pure energy . . . the white color of the one that reacts to Gohan signifies purity, and the pink is for love. If you and Videl somehow manage to access your hidden powers . . ." Pikkon drifted off for a bit. "Imagine the possibilities . . ."

"This pure energy would also explain how I was able to defeat Cell when no one else could." Gohan stared down at the objects in his hand. This changed everything . . .

"Rattai only knows of Videl's energy, or else he would've come after Gohan, too," Pikkon said. "If he manages to drain Videl, he will inject the energy into himself to become stronger. We can't let him get any of either energy. Everything would be lost then."

"I have a question."

Everyone turned and stared at Juuhachi, who'd remained silent and still throughout the whole thing. "Why didn't this boss of yours just come to the fighters here on earth and tell US about what's going on?"

"He did not believe that there were any forces here strong enough to compete with what we're up against. Clearly, he was wrong," said Pikkon, staring at Gohan the whole time. "Unfortunately, my 'boss' had never heard of Son Goku, or he would've been brought back to life, too so that he could help."

Gohan frowned. "Can't you contact him or something?"

"No. I have no way to do that. He said that he would come to ME when I needed something."

Just then, Chichi wandered into the kitchen, then gasped when she saw everyone standing there, staring at her. "Oh, was I . . . interrupting something? And who's THAT?"

"This, Mom, is Pikkon. I'm hoping that he'll be willing to help us fight the Saiyans . . ." Gohan said hopefully.

Pikkon sighed, then nodded reluctantly. "I will help you."

"Great! Say, Piccolo, why don't you take Pikkon up to Dende's Lookout? He can stay there with you," Gohan suggested, then stepped back when Piccolo glared fiercely at him. "Aww, come on, Piccolo! Where else is he going to stay?"

"Capsule Corp," said Piccolo.

Vegeta went off. "I think not!! That is MY house and-"

"Actually, it's Bulma's house, and I'm sure she'd be glad to have Pikkon over," Gohan said sweetly. Besides, Vegeta, you'll have a sparring partner . . ."

Vegeta looked thoughtful. "I guess . . . well, lets go, green man." Pikkon followed Vegeta out of the house, stopping momentarily to tell Gohan to keep a close eye on Videl.

The others eventually left the house, and Gohan filled his mother in on what they'd learned. "Looks like I'd better get back to training, and try to find this 'hidden' power Pikkon was talking about."

Author's Notes: Am I making Gohan _too _smart? _STILL _confused? Think you know who Pikkon's boss is? (You should. It's so obvious.) Found something wrong with my theory? Any comments? Email me at tobygirl2020@yahoo.com.

[1] I'm talking about the Japanese _raamen_, the real stuff. I saw a special about raamen on the International Channel and it IS spelled with two A's due to the extension that you would use when you write raamen in hiragana, YES, hiragana. That stuff looks weird, but it's probably good.

__

NEXT CHAPTER: _While the others were interrogating Pikkon, Videl, trunks and Goten went on a little hike. Then, something happens . . . will the boys be able to protect Videl?_


	20. II NANI!

Author's Note: In case you didn't read my e-mail, or if you're not on my mailing list, then I'd like to say that this will NOT become some cheesy, corny 'Sailor Moon-ish' fiction. This is DBZ we're talking about here, and I don't think there's any way you can turn DBZ into Sailor Moon while keeping the story lines and characters in tact unless it's a crossover or something, and in case you haven't noticed yet, this ISN'T in the crossover section, k? For everyone else who supports my idea here, thank you!!

I don't own DBZ. If I did, then you wouldn't be watching the same crap for, like, THE **_SIXTH_** TIME!!!!! Sorry, I'm just hungry for some new episodes. I heard that the episode where Videl finds out that Gohan is 'dead' is really good . . . might get some inspiration from that one. J 

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Twenty *~*

NANI?!

__

In a spaceship somewhere on earth . . . J 

"I'm surrounded by incompetent fools . . . they're _all fools_ . . . One would think that my brothers want me to _fail_ or something . . ." Rattai grumbled, glancing down at his empty wineglass. He growled, then threw it at the wall, enjoying the sound of shattering glass.

His trip to earth was not going as planned. Rattai hadn't expected to run into any trouble here- after all, no one had heard of any notable fighters existing on the planet. But then came along that _idiot_ in the hideous outfit, the one with the metal object over his head. So far he'd destroyed one of his warriors and sent another fleeing for his life.

Rattai got up out of his red velvet seat and began to pace around his room. This goofball was going to be a problem, one that he needed to solve as soon as possible. Unless he knew exactly who his adversary was, then there was nothing he could do about it.

"I've got to stay focused on the _real_ issue at hand- getting that energy, with the girl as an added bonus," he muttered to himself. He wanted to get this all over with, so that he could return to Vegeta-sei, claim his throne, and rule the Saiyans the way the _proper_ way.

Rattai had disapproved of his father's peaceful rule. He'd refused to try to restore the Saiyans to their original glory through conquering other planets and purging. In fact, he suspected that his father had only wanted to get rid of him by sending him out on this mission. "Well, he's dead now," sneered the prince. "And I'll finally be able to rule the way I want to!" If he ever got home, that was.

Something needed to be done.

"Computer, inform warriors X-16 and Z-42 to suit up and report to me in five minutes."

__

While Pikkon is being questioned . . .

Videl huffed and puffed as she struggled to keep up with Goten and Trunks. They were heading for the woods where Gohan had instructed them to take her. "Wait . . . guys . . . I think . . . we're far enough from . . . the house!" she cried, stopping to lean against a tree while taking in deep breaths.

The two boys, however, were unfazed, but stopped anyway.

"Do you think we can stop now, Trunks?" asked Goten.

The other boy appeared to think. "Hmmm . . . I suppose so . . ."

Once Videl had caught her breath, she said, "What in the WORLD is going on?! I come out here to train with Gohan, and then he and a bunch of _other guys_ I've never seen before ambush some GREEN guy that was following me . . . I AM SO CONFUSED!!"

The two boys glanced at each other as Videl continued her tirade. Trunks leaned over and whispered in Goten's ear, "Don't worry. Girls get grumpy over nothing when they have PZS." [1] Goten just nodded, his eyes wide. "Whatever you say, Trunks."

She kicked at the ground. "Damn that Son Gohan! He set all of this up!! It's no coincidence that all of those people were _hiding_ in the area where Chichi showed me to go! Well, if he thinks he can use me as some _pawn _in some _game_, then he's got another thing coming! I'm giving him a piece of my mind when I get back to the house!!"

Trunks stepped forward with his hands up in the air. "Calm down, Videl! I know you probably have PZS, but that's no reason to go off on Gohan like that! Gohan's cool!"

Videl raised an eyebrow. "PZS? Excuse me?"

"You know, that thing that happens to women once a month? My Dad likes to joke about it whenever Mom gets really mad."

"Ahhh, sure thing, kid. Whatever you say. Wait, you two wouldn't happen to know what's going on, would you?"
    
    Once again, the boys glanced at each other. Goten answered. "I do, but you gotta ask Gohan! He knows everything, cuz he's super smart!"

"GOTEN, why can't you just tell me NOW?" demanded Videl.

Goten stuck a finger in his mouth, then began to panic when Videl pinned a heated glare on him. "Umm . . . help me out here, Trunks!"

"Hey, Gohan's YOUR brother, not mine!" he cried, stepping back and waving his arms. If Videl had PZS, he didn't want to get on her bad side.

Videl grabbed Goten by the front of his gi and brought his feet up off the ground so that they were eye level. Goten began to squirm, kicking at the air. "Listen, Goten, this is MY LIFE we're talking about here, and I deserve to know what's going on! Don't make me hurt you!"

"TRUNKS!!!!!!!!! HELP ME!!!!!!!!! SHE'S GONNA HURT ME!!!!!!!" whined Goten, looking scared.

Trunks snorted, immediately realizing what was wrong with the scene. "Sure, Goten. Don't be stupid! Videl wouldn't hurt a kid, even if he _was_ annoying, like you are."
    
    "Hey!" cried Goten.

Videl sighed and placed the little boy back on the ground. "Okay, Trunks is right. I can't hurt a kid. But look, I thought we were friends," Videl said slyly, knowing that Goten was too gullible. "Friends tell each other stuff, so you can tell me!"

Goten looked thoughtful. "I guess . . . since you put it that way . . ."

Trunks slapped Goten on the back of the head- hard. "She's just SAYING that so you can tell her stuff, Goten. Are you THAT clueless?"

"NO!"

"I don't tell you a lot of stuff, and we're friends," reasoned Trunks.

Goten gapped at him, looking hurt. "That's not fair! I told you about Mr. Snuggles!"

Videl forced back a laughed. "_Mr. Snuggles_?!!! Goten has a stuffed animal named Mr. Snuggles?"
    
    "Gohan bought it for me when I was born!" Goten cried, trying to protect his image. "Besides, Trunks, I saw FooFoo."

"HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT FOOFOO?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Trunks exclaimed, turning bright red. "You weren't supposed to know about FooFoo!"

"That one time I slept over at you house, and I couldn't go to sleep cuz I missed Gohan, your Mom gave me your FooFoo bear to help me sleep! It worked wonders . . . no wonder you like FooFoo."

Trunks was about to tackle Goten and punch the daylights out of him when he noticed that Videl was gone. "SHE DITCHED US!!!! I don't _believe _her! We gotta find her, or else Gohan will get mad that we didn't do our job!"

The boys took off after Videl and easily caught up with her. They jumped on her and she fell to the ground, the two demi-Saiyans sat on Videl's back so that she could run away.

"You boys are _crushing _me!" gasped Videl. "You eat too much!"
    
    "You gotta promise that you won't run away again," said Goten.

"FINE!! **_FINE!!_** I won't run away! Just- get- **_OFF!!!!_**" _Not like I'd get far, anyway._

They got off of Videl and helped her to her feet. "Now what?" asked Videl, stretching her back.

"I know of a really cool lake that-a-way!" exclaimed Goten, pointing further into the trees. "Let's go swimming until Gohan comes for us." He took off at a breakneck speed, and Trunks went after him.

Videl struggled to keep up and was very relieved when they arrived at the lake. She plopped down on the grass, taking deep breaths. The water looked inviting, but she realized that she had nothing to swim in.

That didn't bother the boys, though, as they stripped down. Videl closed her eyes to give the boys some privacy, and opened them again when she heard two big splashes. She went up to the water, took off her shoes, and stuck her feet into the lake, watching Goten and Trunks splash each other with water.
    
    Suddenly, Goten stopped trying to shove Trunk's head under the water and placed a hand on his grumbling belly. "Aww, I'm hungry!" he wined. "I wish Gohan would hurry up."

Trunks nodded in agreement. "Maybe we should start heading back, just in case they forgot about us."

As they dressed, Goten grumbled uncertainly, "Gohan wouldn't forget about me!"

Trunks frowned, then nudged Goten as he felt a tingling in the back of his mind. "Hey, did you feel that?" he whispered, not wanting to alarm Videl.

Goten slowly nodded. "Someone's coming, and it's _not_ Gohan. I bet he's here for Videl," Goten said, remembering the conversation that Gohan had with Piccolo earlier that day.

Videl eyed both boys as they dropped into a fighting stance, scanning the sky with their eyes. "What's wrong?" She looked up, her eyes widening when she saw a man with black spiky hair and bulging muscles flying their way.

As he got closer, Trunks muttered, "He looks tough, but we can take him. Ready, Goten?"

He nodded once and they both went Super. Videl gasped and jumped up off of the ground. _What the hell?! Mini Gold Fighters!!_

*~*

Piccolo stopped mid-flight, frowning when he felt the ki's of Trunks and Goten spike. _What are those two doing?_

He suddenly remembered that Gohan had sent Videl off with them. _What if something's wrong? Or they've run into trouble?_

Piccolo turned around and sped off in the other direction.

*~*

Goten and Trunks attacked at the man at the same time the minute his feet touched the ground. The man's eyes widened as they attacked him ruthlessly. He had to struggle to block their attacks, and was surprised when the lavender haired boy punched him hard in the face, sending him flying back onto the ground. "ALRIGHT, GOTEN, LET'S TOAST HIM!!!!!!" roared Trunks. 

"LET'S DO IT!!!!!!!!" shouted Goten. They both cupped their hands, then shouted at the same time, "KA . . . ME . . . HA . . . ME . . . **_HA_**!!!!!!!" 

Videl shielded her eyes from the bright light and the dust that flew up from the boy's attack. _Unreal . . . Just like Saiyaman and those guys from the Cell games! _When she opened her eyes, all she saw was scorched earth where the man used to be.

Before the boys could celebrate their victory, there was another bright flash of light and a ki blast went flying their way. Videl watched in horror as the ball of energy hit Goten and Trunks. They flew back a couple of feet, rolled, then lay lifeless on the ground. 

The evil cackling of a man drew Videl's gaze up to the sky where a familiar, spiky haired man was lowering his hand. _He's . . . oh, Kami, I'm in trouble . . .!_

Videl immediately took off into the woods, jumping over fallen tree branches and zigzagging in and out of trees. She faintly acknowledged the fact that the man was flying just overhead of her, and that there was no way she would be able to shake him.

"Playing cat and mouse if fun . . . for a while!" called the man. He shot down out of the air, crashing into Videl's back, sending her sprawling face forward into the ground. He grabbed her wrists and she nearly screamed when she felt something pierce her skin. He yanked her roughly off of the ground.

He was just about to fly off when someone said, "LET HER GO!" from behind him. He turned around, and came face to face with Saiyaman. The man sneered, then shoved Videl away from him.

"You again," he grunted.

Gohan thought for a while, then realized that this was not the first time he'd encountered him. He was the man who'd been stealing energy from people at Satan City Mall, and, by the looks of his hair and eyes, he was obviously a Saiyan. Why hadn't he seen it before?
    
    "So I see Rattai's sent another of his pathetic lackey weaklings to do his dirty work," he sneered, glancing at Videl, who was scrambling to get up off of the ground.

The man looked startled. _How does he know about Rattai?! What's going on here?! _He growled, then threw a punch at Saiyaman. Gohan easily grabbed his fist and began to squeeze hard on it. "Tell me where Rattai's hiding!" he demanded.

The Saiyan grunted, then managed to free his hand from Gohan's tight grip. He took to the air, looking for a way to escape. He noticed the way that Saiyaman kept glancing at the girl . . . and suddenly had a plan. _I hope this works . . . or Prince Rattai will have my head for this . . ._

He raised his hand and fired at ki blast at Videl, who was rooted in her spot with fear. As he'd expected, Saiyaman jumped in front of her, wrapped his arm around her waist, and let the blast hit him in the back.

Videl screamed as Saiyaman slumped forward, pulling them both to the ground. "GET UP!!!" she cried in fear, glancing up at the smirking man who was coming closer to her. "Please . . . get up . . ."

Gohan grunted, his vision swimming. He was slightly aware of Videl's arms around him and he pleading voice. He placed on hand on the ground, then turned around, falling back against Videl's chest. Gohan raised one hand and . . .

"KA . . . ME . . ."

Videl closed her eyes tightly, turning her head.

"HA . . . ME . . . **_HA_**!!!"

Gohan's ki blast enveloped the Saiyan, reducing him to nothing more than dust. He sighed, then promptly passed out.

Videl opened her eyes again, then stared down at Saiyaman. She shook him gently, then frowned when he didn't stir. "Uh, Saiyaman . . . are you okay?"

No answer.

Videl moved him off of her, then knelt down beside him. _He was probably hit on the back really hard . . . poor guy . . ._

****

You do realize, Videl, that this is the PERFECT time to take that can off of his head?

But . . . that's wrong! He's unconscious, for goodness sakes!

****

So? Hey, maybe he has some sort of head injury under that helmet. Don't you want to check for any bleeding or something?

Umm . . .

It was tempting . . . _very _tempting. Videl nibbled on her bottom lip, then moved her hands to the helmet. She gently took it off.

**__**

"NANI?!! GOHAN IS SAIYAMAN?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Videl was stunned. Gohan was _actually _Saiyaman? How . . . She shook her head. "Let's make sure he lives first, then you can grill the hell out of him." Videl felt for his pulse, then sighed when she found that it was still there. She tried to pick him up so that she could get him back to his house, only to find that he was REALLY heavy.

"Okay . . ."

Next, Videl tried to _drag_ him, but gave up when, after fifteen minutes, she realized that she'd moved him only a foot from where they'd started. "Damn . . . what does he eat?! He weighs a ton!"

She slumped onto the ground in defeat. What would she do now? She could always run back to the Son home . . . but what if something happened to Gohan? And what if there wasn't anyone there that could help her? What about Trunks and Goten?

"Please . . . Kami . . . I need some help on this one!"

"And help has arrived."

Videl whirled around. "PICCOLO!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She ran up to him to give him a hug, and was slightly shocked when he moved around her, avoiding her grasp. He walked over to Gohan, looked him over, then shook his head.

"He'll be fine." He popped a senzu bean into Gohan's mouth.

"What was that?" asked Videl.

"A senzu bean."

"Ohhh . . . so that's a senzu bean . . ."

Piccolo tossed Gohan over his shoulder, then grabbed Videl. "Hold on tight." She squealed as he quickly took to the air.

*~*

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BABY?!!!!!!!!!" cried Chichi as Piccolo entered the house and went back to Gohan's room, placing him on the bed. "IS HE OKAY?!!!"

Piccolo winced, cursing the fact that he had sensitive hearing. "He'll be fine. I gave him a senzu bean."

"Thank goodness! Where's Goten and Trunks?"

Videl entered the room and sat on the bed next to Gohan. "They're lying unconscious by a lake in the woods . . ."

"WHAT?!!!"

"I'll find them," Piccolo grumbled, quickly exiting the house, eager to get away from Chichi's loud voice.
    
    Chichi eyed Videl as she placed a blanket over Gohan, then smoothed them out. She also removed his shoes, tossing them across the room, then reached up to fluff his pillow. Videl seemed unfazed by Gohan's Saiyaman clothing. Chichi cleared her throat, drawing Videl's attention. "You're not surprised?"

"What? Ohh . . . I got all of that out of my system in the woods. I really didn't expect _Gohan_ off all people to be Saiyaman." Suddenly she flushed, remembering her conversation with Saiyaman the other day, and the remark about his hot body. _Isn't this great . . ._

"I'm sure you'll have some questions to ask him when he wakes," said Chichi.

Videl chuckled. "A ton. Or maybe YOU can answer a few?"

Chichi shook her head, backing up out of the room. "I think that's up to Gohan. Don't worry, he shouldn't be out too much longer."

When Chichi left, Videl sighed, staring down at Gohan. _Oh, boy, you better be ready to talk when you wake up, Gohan. I've got a lot to ask you._

*~*

Pikkon landed outside of a dome shaped house and watched as Vegeta threw the front door open and stalked inside. He hesitantly followed him inside and looked around.

"WOMAN, WHERE ARE YOU?!" shouted Vegeta.

Bulma came into the room, frowning at him. "STOP SHOUT . . . ohhhh, who's THIS?" She went up to Pikkon and began to circle him, looking him over. "Is he a friend of Piccolo's?"

Pikkon bowed slightly. "I am Pikkon, champion of the Midorian race." He took Bulma's hand and kissed it lightly. "It's nice to meet you." [2]

Bulma giggled, which agitated Vegeta even more than the kiss had. "Oh, it's nice to see someone around here has some manners and knows how to treat a lady right! It's nice to meet you too, Pikkon. Will you be staying here?"

"Yes, if you will let me."

"OF COURSE! Why don't I show you around . . ."

Vegeta looked stunned as HIS woman walked off with Pikkon, hanging all over him while running her mouth a hundred miles an hour about her latest invention. _Damn Kakkarot's brat!! This is all HIS fault!!_

*~*

Videl grinned as Gohan sat up in his bed and looked around. He stared at her, then asked, "Why are you grinning at me?"

Her grin widened. She leaned forward, VERY close to his ear, making Gohan antsy, and whispered, "I was wondering, Gohan, if you preferred to be called The Great Saiyaman . . . or just Saiyaman."

He jumped, his eyes growing wide as saucers. "HOW DID YOU FIND OUT?!"

She gestured at his clothes. When he looked down, he flushed, then scratched the back of his head. "Oh . . . haha!"

"You've got some explaining to do, Gohan. How dare you keep a secret like that from me?" She glared down at him.

"Videl . . . don't be mad, please . . ." he whimpered. "I just wanted to keep my family's name out of the press, that's all!"

She looked hurt. "Do you think I would've told someone your secret if you didn't want me to?"

". . . ."

"GOHAN!"

"Okay, sorry! Gosh, Videl, I . . . I really had no intention of you ever finding out that I was Saiyaman, so there was really no reason to tell you anything!"

She continued to glare at him, but dropped the subject. "I've got another question- how come you can fly and shoot stuff out of your hands?"

Gohan avoided her gaze. "I was . . . taught?"

She rolled her eyes. "Okay . . . but HOW do you do it? Would I be able to fly and stuff?"

"I suppose so . . . you'd just have to use your ki."

"Ki?"

"Ah . . . energy," said Gohan, waving his hand in the air. "Everyone has it, some more than others. You just have to know how to manipulate it. It's not really hard to do."

This ki stuff was very interesting. Videl grinned slyly. "You're going to teach me," she said, making it sound like a statement more than a question.

Gohan looked nervous. "I . . . am?"

"Yep. I want to learn how to use my ki, okay? If you said it's not that hard, then it should be no problem, right?"

"Ummm . . . gosh, Videl, I've never _taught _anyone besides Gohan how to use ki," muttered Gohan.

"So!"

Seeing that Videl wasn't about to leave him alone, he reluctantly agreed to teach her. _How hard can it be? She's a pretty good fighter which will make things easier. _"Okay, Videl. I'll teach you."

"Great! Now, there's something else you've got to explain. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!!"

Gohan, stunned by her sudden outburst, almost fell out of the bed. "W-what do you mean?"

"You used me today, Son Gohan! I don't like being used. What was up with that whole ambush thing earlier?" Videl asked.

"Oh, that . . . I suppose I should tell you . . . after all, it DOES concern you. Ahhh . . . where should I start . . ."

"At the beginning, maybe?" she suggested sarcastically.

The question was _which_ beginning? Should he start with his Dad, or just what Pikkon had said? _She might find out eventually, if things get a little out of control, like they usually do. _Gohan looked Videl up and down. _I trust her . . ._

"Okay . . . I'll start at the _very _beginning. Er . . .this might be hard for you to believe, Videl . . . but I'm part alien."

She stared at him, then, after a few minutes, slapped him on the back of the head. "GET SERIOUS, GOHAN!!!! THIS IS **_NOT_** A TIME FOR JOKES!!!!"

Gohan rubbed his head and edged away from Videl, incase she felt the need to attack him again. "I _am_ telling the truth!! I swear!" he whined.

"You don't _look_ like an alien," she muttered.

"And what's an alien supposed to look like?"

A picture of the typical alien flashed in her head. _Little green men . . . _"Like Piccolo."

Gohan sighed, then got out of the bed. He pushed the button on his watch, getting a gasp from Videl, and dug underneath his bed. He came back up with a photo album. "I don't like to show this picture to anyone . . . but if it'll get you to believe me . . ." He opened the book, then handed it to Videl. "See that picture on the left? That's me when I was just born. Notice the tail."

Videl stared down at the picture of a buck-naked Gohan, then the tail attached to his rear. " . . . you've got to be kidding me . . . this is _real_? Where's your tail now?"

"It _was _real, but it was taken off a long time ago." He took the album from her, then sat back on the bed. "My Dad was a full alien from a planet called Vegeta-sei."

"Vegeta-sei? As in THE Vegeta?"

Gohan nodded. "The Vegeta we know just happened to be the prince of Vegeta-sei, ruler of all Saiyans, the race that occupied the planet. Saiyans are born with tails, and they have spiky, dark hair, dark eyes and are faster and stronger than humans."

__

Which would explain how he can lift buses and stuff. "Ohhh . . . so how did your Dad and Vegeta end up on earth?"

He went on to tell her the _whole _story, or what he knew of it at least, and skipped the Cell Saga, thinking that Videl wasn't ready to hear that her life was based on a bunch of lies. Gohan then went forward to tell her about the latest happenings and how they involved Videl.

She was surprised to hear that she had some sort of hidden powers. "Cool," she muttered. "But the rest of it isn't."

"I know. But my friends and I will do everything we can to protect you," said Gohan reassuringly. "Meanwhile, we can work on getting stronger and using the energy to help us fight the Saiyans, okay?"

As soon as Videl nodded, the door flew open and Goten and Trunks, both covered with scrapes, blood and dirt, burst into the room, leaping on Videl.

"She's okay!!" exclaimed Goten, giving her a tight hug.

Trunks shoved the younger boy out of the way, took a quick hug from the bed, then hopped down. "Thanks, Gohan for bailing us out. We did a lousy job of protecting Videl."

"Nah, you guys did the best you could."

Videl nodded in agreement. "After all, you two tykes took down one guy with that . . . ah . . . Kamiha . . . whatever thing."

"Ka_me_ha_me_ha," Gohan, Trunks and Goten said at the same time.
    
    "Whatever. Hey . . . wait a minute, I almost forgot!" She stared suspiciously at the two little boys. "They changed into mini-Gold Fighters, Gohan. You know, gold hair, blue eyes."

"Ohhh . . . that! They turned into Super Saiyans," Gohan supplied. "When Saiyans get really strong, they can reach a higher level and go super. There are . . . _degrees_ of a Super Saiyan as well."

"Hmm . . . let me guess- you're the Gold Fighter too?" When Gohan nodded, Videl muttered, "Amazing . . ."

"Hey, Videl, are you gonna stay the night?!" asked Goten eagerly, his eyes wide. "Trunks is staying over, so maybe you could . . ."

"No, sorry. Dad's gonna have a cow. I've been out too long already. I'd better go." She stood up off of Gohan's bed. He got up too, then said, "I'll fly back with you, okay?"
    
    "Sure."

They said bye to Chichi and Gohan changed into Saiyaman. Videl eyed him, then asked, "Where did you get that _ridiculous_ costume from?"

"Bulma made it for me. And it's not ridiculous, it's very stylish!"

She rolled her eyes, then got into her copter. The two took off with Gohan flying slightly behind her jet. When they arrived at the mansion, Gohan flew up to Videl's balcony and waited for Videl to get up to her room.

She opened the balcony doors and stepped back to let him in. Gohan began to search her room, just in case there was anyone hiding there. When he was sure that no one was in her room that shouldn't be, Gohan sighed. "Videl, I'm not comfortable with this."
    
    "With what?"

"_Leaving_ you here with no proper protection. Any Saiyan could get past your father's security."

Videl nodded. "Probably. What can I do about that?"

Gohan thought for a minute. "You could . . . explain everything to your Dad and ask him if you could stay over at my place until everything settled down."

Videl began to laugh hysterically. "And . . . and you t-think . . . hahahahaha . . . that he'd . . . hahaha . . . _agree_?! That's a good one, Gohan! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!"

Gohan frowned at her hysterics. "I fail to see what's so funny," he said stiffly.

"I'm not laughing _at _you . . ." she stifled a giggle. "Just your idea!!"

"I'm SERIOUS, Videl. We could at least try."

"I can tell you what's going to happen if we do. One, he'll laugh, two, he'll laugh _some more_, then he'll call you crazy for coming up with an alien idea, THEN he'll throw you out of the house and tell you to never come back. After that, he'd probably call Rosewood to come and pick you up and carry you to the loony bin!" Videl began to laugh again.
    
    "You don't know that. Let's try."

*~*

Forty-five minutes later, when Gohan and Videl had finally finished telling Hercule the story, leaving out the fact that Gohan was Saiyaman and the Gold Fighter, Videl's father stared blankly at them. Suddenly he began to laugh loudly, banging his fist on his desk and clutching his stomach. Videl sent Gohan a significant look, while he muttered over and over again, "DON'T say a word."

When Hercule almost fell out of his chair, then regained his composure, occasionally snickering the whole time, he said loudly, "You're some sort of lunatic teen who's brainwashed my little girl, aren't you . . . making up this whole Saiyan crap . . ."

"I'm telling the TRUTH!" Gohan protested.

"Right . . . Let me tell you something, kid. I've dealt with psychos before, and you're the weirdest I've ever seen. Get OUT of my house, STAY out of my house, and leave Videl the hell alone!"

Videl shook her head, pulled Gohan out of his chair and forced him out of her Dad's study. "I TOLD you it wouldn't work," she hissed as they went back up to her room.

Gohan began to pace back and forth across her carpet, appearing to be deep in thought. _I'm the only one who can look after Videl properly . . . and it would be a heck of a lot easier if she were nearby. She HAS to come home with me!_ "Screw Hercule," he muttered. [3] 

Videl gasped. "Why, GOHAN, what did you just say?"

"You heard me. Your father obviously doesn't care if you get hurt or not, but SOME PEOPLE do! Pack a bag, Videl- you're coming home with me."

She stared at him in disbelief, then grinned. "Are we running away together? Or are you kidnapping me?"

He grinned back. "Both."

Videl went to her closet, pulled out some luggage and began to pack some stuff. Gohan watched and, about fifteen minutes later, rolled his eyes. "Your Dad's coming."

She stuck her head out of the closet. "How do you know?"

"I can sense ki, and your Dad has one, although it may as well be non-existent."

Videl giggled and emerged from the closet with a suitcase in hand. "Okay, I'm done." She looked down at her other four pieces of luggage on the floor. "Grab some and help me down to my copter."

The door flew open and Hercule stalked in. He glanced at Gohan, then Videl, then the luggage and back to Gohan. "WHAT IS HE STILL DOING HERE?!!"

"We're running away together, Dad. Maybe we'll find a nice little Vegas-like chapel somewhere and . . ." Videl joked.

Hercule, However, didn't see anything funny about the situation. "YOU MOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT!! BOY, I'LL HAVE YOU ARRESTED-"

"You can't arrest him if I go with him willingly, which I am," said Videl, handing Gohan several suitcases. "Besides, I'll be 18 in a few days, and I can do whatever I want."

Gohan was startled. Really? He hadn't known that Videl's birthday was coming up.

"You're NOT OF LEGAL AGE **YET**!!" shrieked her father.

Videl sighed. "Dad . . . please let me go with Gohan. I'll be safe with him."

"You BELIEVE him? You think all of this stuff actually happened?"

"Was I kidnapped a while ago? Was I attacked today? I think so."

Hercule began to whimper at the thought of loosing his only daughter. "Videl . . ."

"I'll be fine! You can trust your daughter with the guy who saved everyone from Cell."

Shocked silence filled the air. Gohan almost dropped the luggage in his arms. "Videl, how . . .?"

"I guessed, really. In fact, I wouldn't have know for sure if I hadn't gotten that reaction from both of you." Videl went up to her Dad and did something that stunned Gohan- she kissed him on the forehead. "I'll call and visit whenever I can, Dad. Let's go, Gohan."

"Sure . . ." Gohan placed his hand on Videl's shoulder and whispered, "Hold on." They vanished right before Hercule's eyes.

When they arrived in the Son living room, Videl stumbled forward. Gohan caught her around the waist and took her bags from her, setting them on the ground. "Sorry about that. I forgot that Instant Transmission can be rough on weaker people."

Videl instantly looked angry. "WEAKER?! EX_CUSE_ ME?!!"

"I didn't mean it!! Please don't hit me again!!"

Author's Note: Okay, that sucked. But things get interesting after this. Next chapter's a shocker . . .

[1] Meaning PMS. Haha.

[2] I don't know if Pikkon would actually do that (and he probably wouldn't) but since they don't really elaborate on his character, I'm going to take some liberties and have some fun with him . . . hahahahaha!

[3] Maybe Gohan wouldn't say something like that unless he was frustrated . . . and he's frustrated here!

****

ADVERTISING: Wow, there are actually NEW Gohan/ Videl stories and some good ones too.

1)'Teenage Love Problems' by R Fanatic looks promising. Check it out.

2) 'Bring Me the Moon' by Absolut Angel is only a one shot (I think) but it's wonderful!

3) Okay, this one isn't new, but who cares? 'Life Anew' by SSJ-Mirai-Trunks. I've been bugged to put this in Advertising, and here it is! J 

__

Next Chapter: Rattai has something up his sleeve for Videl again and Gohan is NOT happy. If you caught something that I didn't elaborate on in this chapter, it has something to do with that . . . if you noticed it, then e-mail me and maybe I'll give you a clue what's gonna happen . . .


	21. II The Sickness

Author's Note: Here's another chapter, and so quickly! I was very surprised when I saw 800 something reviews!! Thanks everyone, especially Sean, who's given me advice and much more. J 

DBZ isn't mine, but all made up characters and such are mine, all mine! 

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Twenty One *~*

The Sickness

Rattai opened one eye as his he heard the faint whoosh of his door being opened. His head advisor entered his room. Without turning around to face him, he asked, "They failed, didn't they?"

The advisor shifted nervously, staring down at that floor. "I'm . . . afraid so . . ."

Rattai growled and jumped out of his chair. He began to throw things across the room, shouting about how everyone except for him was incompetent.

His advisor winced, then exclaimed, "But! But they _did _succeed in planting the device in the girl!"

The young prince stopped in mid-tirade and turned to the older man. He grinned, rubbing his hands together eagerly like a little child. "How long until it activates itself?"

"Ah . . . it should be happening any time now, your highness."

"Good, good. Now all we have to do is sit back and wait."

*~*

Videl was jerked out of her peaceful slumber by a sharp, persistent pinching sensation in her right wrist. She sat up in Gohan's bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her gaze then flew down to her burning wrist as she moved her arm into a soft ray of moonlight that fell on the bed sheets.

A river of blood ran down her arm from a spot on her wrist.
    
    She gasped and stumbled out of the bed, kicking the sheets away from her legs while trying to stop the blood flow by clamping her shirt over the spot. She dashed out of Gohan's room, down the hallway and into the bathroom. She flicked on the light and grabbed some tissue paper, pressing it to her wrist while cleaning up the rest of the blood on her arm with some more tissue.

"What the _hell_ happened to my arm?" she muttered. How had she begun to bleed?

When she lifted the tissue, she groaned. The blood was still coming from a wound on her wrist. Videl got some fresh tissue and pressed harder to her laceration.

"Videl? Are you okay?"

Her gaze flew up to the doorway. There stood Gohan, staring down at her with sleepy eyes. She said nothing, but showed him her mysterious gash.

His eyes widened and the sleep disappeared from his face. "What . . . how'd you get this?"

"I don't know," she moaned. "I woke up . . . and it was just _there_!"

Gohan grabbed more tissue and pressed it to her wound. Eventually, with his force, the bleeding stopped. He grabbed some disinfectant (the no-sting kind Chichi had purchased for Goten), a big Band-Aid and set to work on Videl. His tender touch drove Videl up the wall as he gently stroked her upper arm with is free hand to calm her down while he worked.

Gohan glanced up at her as he placed the Band-Aid on her skin, not noticing the effect that his touch had on Videl. "This is weird . . . you say you just _woke up_ and it was there?"

Videl nodded, regaining control of her emotions and cradled her wrist to her chest.

Gohan placed an arm around her shoulder, seeing a hint of fear and uncertainty in her eyes and led her out of the bathroom. They went back to Gohan's room where he turned on his light and inspected Videl. Bloody gashes didn't appear out of nowhere- that was impossible, but he couldn't figure out what had caused her wrist to split.

Gohan sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I can't figure this out! Maybe if I sleep on it . . ."

"Yeah, I guess we should go back to bed . . ." Videl crawled underneath the bed sheets and closed her eyes tight. Gohan flicked off the light, then settled down on the cot next to his bed.

"If something happens again, Videl, you wake me up, okay?" he whispered.

"Okay."

"Night Videl."

"Goodnight, Gohan."

Neither of them fell asleep immediately after saying goodnight. All Videl could think about was Gohan's silky soft touch, and Gohan was engrossed with Videl's sudden injury.

As they both eventually abandoned their thoughts and drifted off to sleep, neither noticed a small, spider like object covered in blood crawl off of the bed and onto the floor.

*~*

Chichi was up early the next morning, preparing breakfast like she did almost every morning. Goten was already awake and was busy playing 'Saiyaman and Videl' in his room again, claiming that he had nothing better do after Bulma had picked Trunks up the other day. He was very excited that Videl knew the truth about Gohan and was becoming more creative with his 'game'.

When Gohan had approached her the afternoon before and _told _her, not asked her, that Videl would be moving over temporarily, until everything settled down, she hadn't known whether to be excited or angry. She was happy that Gohan and Videl would have some chances to be alone together, which could lead to romance and eventually grandchildren, but upset that Gohan hadn't asked her first.

When she'd yelled at him for that, he'd muttered back, "You probably would've said yes anyway."

Which was true. She wouldn't turn away her own future daughter-in-law!

Chichi placed the last of the pancakes onto a plate and went down the hall. She opened the door to Gohan's room and was _slightly _disappointed that the two had actually stayed in their own beds. She remembered the bed conversation she'd had with Gohan.

He'd insisted on having Videl sleeping in his room so that "someone couldn't kidnap her in the middle of the night without him knowing". Chichi had been hesitant, but then agreed. After all, Gohan was a responsible young man . . . maybe _too _responsible.

Chichi vaguely realized that she was contradicting herself over and over again, but chose to ignore it. She cleared her throat loudly, then went over and shook Gohan hard to wake him up.

"Wha . . . Ma . . . is it morning already?"

"Yes. Breakfast is ready. Wake Videl up."

Gohan got up and stretched. "Sure thing." He went around the bed and gently shook Videl awake.

Chichi stared for a while at the young soon-to-be lovers, then turned to leave. She squealed when a spider suddenly ran across her foot. "Yuck, I _hate_ spiders," she muttered, leaving the room.

Videl woke up and stroked the smooth rubber covering her wound. She got out of bed and took some clothes out of one of her suitcases. "I'll . . . change in the bathroom. Is it okay if I put on some training clothes so we can get right to work after breakfast?"

"Okay." Gohan watched as she left, then closed the door and proceeded to change clothes. He grabbed a gi from his dresser and pulled it on halfway, leaving his chest bare as he dug around for his shoes. Suddenly the door flew open and Videl entered, then caught sight of a half-naked Gohan and flushed wildly. "OH, I'm SORRY! I forgot-"

"Don't worry about it. It's not like I'm completely not naked or something."

She hesitated, then left the room again, dashing into the kitchen.

Gohan just chuckled and shook his head.

*~*

"We've got movement from the XG-14, your highness. It's awake," said a scientist as he punched buttons on his mini computer.

Rattai grinned. "Bring me the monitor."

"I'm . . . afraid it isn't ready to view anything. It needs to charge up before it can send us any images."

"How long?"

"Just a few more minutes . . . that's all . . ."

*~*

"GOTEN, IF YOU DON'T PUT DOWN THOSE TOYS AND GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW, I'LL-"

Goten ran from his room and into the kitchen where his mother, Gohan and Videl were already sitting, eating breakfast. His mother had been calling him for about ten minutes now, but he'd been so involved in his latest 'Saiyaman and Videl' episode, he hadn't heard her calling. "Sorry, ma! Didn't hear ya!"

Chichi placed a plate before her youngest son then sat at the table herself. "So, how did you all sleep?"

Gohan almost dropped his fork, then glanced at Videl. She avoided his gaze, then said, "Just fine, thank you. And I really appreciate you letting me stay here."

"Oh, it's a pleasure to have you over! It's nice to have another female to talk to. I've lived all my life with manly-men, so it's nice to have a woman around."

Chichi and Videl laughed, but neither of the boys understood what was so funny. They kept on eating.

"I wish Gohan would enter the Tenkaichi Budokai," said Chichi to Videl. "We could really use that prize money."

Videl winked at the older woman. "Well, when I win, you can have it all!"

"You think you're going to win?"

"Of course. With the world's strongest man training me, how could I not?"

"You forgot the world's most handsome!" added Chichi, giggling.

Gohan flushed. "Jeez, you two, if you want to talk _woman stuff_, go somewhere else."

Goten agreed. "The kitchen is for eating and you two are gonna make me barf."

"Woman stuff?" huffed Videl. "That sounded sexist to me, Gohan!"

Both women laughed as Gohan began to eat faster, avoiding Videl's gaze. "He's afraid of you, Videl. That's good. I kept Goku in line that way, and when you marry Gohan, you'll have to do the same. These Saiyan men are quite a handful."

Gohan choked momentarily on his food. "I never said we were getting _married_!! Mom, don't start . . ."

Chichi went over to the cabinet and pulled out THE frying pan. Videl stifled a laugh as both Gohan and Goten cringed in fear. "THIS is my weapon, Videl. Do you see this dent? This got here because I hit Goku over the head so many times with it."

Videl laughed loudly. "I bet Goten will have his own dent soon, huh?"

"HEY!" the little boy shrieked as Videl, Chichi and even Gohan laughed at that one.

Everyone quieted down as a faint whizzing sound filled the room. Gohan stopped eating, then looked around. "What's that?"

It suddenly stopped and Chichi shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe the AC is on the fritz or something. Now, Videl," she continued, "I can tell you where to buy a high quality frying pan at a _low, low _price . . ."

*~*

"And we've got visualization!" announced the scientist. "The XG-14 is now transmitting images." He produced a screen for Rattai.

A picture of four people sitting at a table, laughing and eating appeared on the once black screen. The young woman immediately caught the prince's eye. "There she is . . . isn't she beautiful?"
    
    The scientist did not reply.

"All that dark hair, those unusual purple blue-ish eyes . . ." His eyes roamed over Videl as she got up from the table and poured herself another glass of orange juice.

" . . . and that _body_ . . ." [A/N: Yuck . . . that perv . . .]

The scientist spoke up. "Her energy, your highness. What about that?"

Rattai waved his hand. "Oh, yes, that too. I think . . . she'd make a wonderful queen for the Saiyan people, don't you?"

*~*

Videl almost dropped the carton of orange juice when she saw something black dart across the kitchen floor. _Maybe I was just imagining it . . . _She went back to the table and watched Gohan wolf down the rest of his food. Videl sighed restlessly and glanced at her watch. "Are you ready to start training yet, Gohan? You're taking forever with that food!"

He shoved the rest of his eggs into his mouth and sighed, patting his belly. "DONE! That was great, Mom, as usual."

Chichi smiled with pride. "I _do_ try my best."

Goten followed them as they went outside. He watched eagerly as Videl and Gohan began to stretch.

"So, what do you want to work on today, Videl? Flying or ki blasts?" asked Gohan.

Videl thought, then said, "Ki blasts. That way, I'll at least have _some _hope of protecting myself if someone else tries to come after me."

"Right. Okay." Gohan sat on the ground and gestured for Videl to sit across from him. She did, then listened carefully to Gohan. "First you'll need to learn how to _access_ your ki before you can even start to manipulate it. Ki comes from . . . your whole body, but mostly a place I like to call your center. I'm going to help you find that center."

"Ooookay . . . so, how will I know that I've found it?"

"You'll . . . feel at peace. All your worries will drift away. Believe me, when you've found your center, you'll know."

Videl nodded. "So what do I do."

"Close your eyes . . . relax your muscles . . . _relax_, not get tenser!" teased Gohan. He moved behind Videl and placed both hands on her shoulders. Gohan leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "Relax, Videl, or this won't work."

__

How the HELL can I relax if you're so close to me?! Videl sighed heavily, then felt her muscles loosen as his hands drifted down her back to work her muscles there.

"Good . . . good . . ." whispered Gohan once Videl was totally relaxed. He moved back to his original position. "Now take deep, even breaths . . . good . . . now I need you to think about a happy thought. Think about a happy memory you have . . ."

__

A happy memory?

The time Gohan had taken her to the dance . . . when he'd taken her out onto the dance floor and into his arms . . .

Gohan grinned as a tiny smile appeared on Videl's face. "Good! Now keep thinking about your memory . . . let your center come to you, don't look for it."

They sat like that for a while, for so long that Goten eventually wandered off, stopping to glance down at a strange looking spider in the grass for less than a second, then continued on his way.

Suddenly Videl's eyes flew open and she began to gasp for air. She'd found her center . . . and the power there was almost overwhelming. Gohan caught her before she fell forward and helped her sit up. "You found it?"

She nodded. "It was amazing . . . there's a lot of power in there!"

"Great! Now let's get to work on ki blasts."

"Are you going to teach me the Kamehema . . . the thingy?"

"The Ka_me_ha_me_ha. Later, once you get the hang of ki blasts. Who knows- maybe you'll be able to make one of your own."

Her own specialized attack? Cool.
    
    *~*

Rattai frowned at the screen. THIS was not good. Who the hell was this _boy_ and why did he have his hands all over his woman- Videl? And from the looks of things, Videl didn't care that he was touching her everywhere!

This boy . . . he could be trouble.

*~*

"Now that you've found your center, it shouldn't be hard for you to draw power from it and use it to your advantage," Gohan was saying. "This part may be a little harder. What you need to do is _force_ the power inside of you out . . . though your hands . . . and you should get something like this . . ." Gohan cupped his hands together and formed a tiny ball of light. He then pulled his hands apart and the energy dissipated. "You try."

Videl took two deep breaths, cupped her hands before her and concentrated hard. Her energy wouldn't budge and, after a while, she got frustrated. "This isn't working!"

"Give it time, Videl. You've got to work on this stuff. Now keep trying."

She sighed, then closed her eyes and concentrated again. Gohan watched her hands carefully for any signs of energy. Sweat began to bead on Videl's forehead as she focused on driving her energy into her hands. After about thirty minutes, Gohan noticed that Videl's hands were glowing a faint pinkish purple color. He held his breath and leaned forward slightly, keeping quiet as to not distract Videl. A tiny bead of light began to form in her hands. _That's it . . . that's it!!_

Suddenly her eyes snapped open as she lost control of her energy. The tiny bead in her hand grew surprisingly fast. Videl gasped and drew her hands apart, accidentally sending her ki straight at Gohan.

His eyes grew wide and he fell to ground, covering his head with his and narrowly dodged Videl's blast. He hesitantly sat up, twisting around to see what damage Videl had done. A tree had been split in half and she'd blown up a small boulder, but that was about it. He wiped his forehead and sighed with relief. "Jeez, Videl, were you trying to blow my head off?"

She looked very frightened for a second, then rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt that anything I do would put a dent in you," she snickered.

Gohan gave her a tiny smile. "Well, that was good, for your first try. What happened? Did you loose control or something?"

"I guess. Now what?"

He pulled her off her feet, then told her to make a ki blast again. "It should come easier to you, since you've done it once before."

When Videl tried again, she found that it _was _easier. She fired several, one after another, at another big rock not too far away. After about ten consecutive blasts, it crumbled to the ground. "How was that?"

"Great! Really good." He stepped away from her, then grinned mischievously. "Hit me," he said, patting his chest.

"Are you CRAZY? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Aren't you the one that said that anything you could do wouldn't put a dent in me?"

This sparked Videl's determination. She bit her lower lip, cupped her hands, then summoned a lot of her energy. She fired it directly at Gohan, then winced when it hit him.

"Not bad!" He stared down at the slightly charred spot on his gi.

"Not BAD? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll get better. Now, how about you try some target practice?" Gohan gathered up some fist-sized rocks and set them in a pile. "Okay. I'm going to throw these rocks into the air, and I want you to hit them. It's all about precision, hand-eye coordination, that sort of thing. Ready?"

"Hai!"

Gohan threw the first one up and Videl hit it. "Good!" He threw another farther to her left, then another straight up. He continued, varying the position of the rocks. Videl hit each and every one. "Great! Faster now." Gohan began again, but going faster as he had promised. She missed a few of these, but got most of them. "Now I'm going to do more than one at a time, okay?"

Videl nodded and focused herself on the task at hand. She felt the need to impress Gohan, to show him that she wasn't just some weak, average human fighter. _Concentrate Videl. Let's do this!_

Gohan was surprised when Videl attacked the rocks with speed, precision and, most of all, determination. She only missed one set out of twenty. Gohan began to clap loudly, causing Videl to flush. "GOOD JOB, Videl!! And on your first day, too! You'll have the hang of this in no time!"

*~*

Goten wandered back over to Gohan and Videl, who were in the middle of their second round of target practice. He bent down to poke at that weird spider he'd seen earlier that was _still there_, then lost interest a few minutes later when it didn't try to run away or anything. He got closer to Gohan and Videl. He watched as Videl fired ki blasts from her hands, hitting all of the rocks that Gohan threw. _Wow, she learns fast!_

"YAY, VIDEL!!" exclaimed Goten. "That was great!"

She smiled at him. "Thanks!"

"How about we take a break and get something to eat?" suggested Gohan, much to his little brother's delight. They headed back inside the house where his mother was already making lunch.

"I saw Videl from the window," Chichi said, stirring a big pot of soup. "You're making a lot of progress in such a short time with your ki blasts."

"Yeah, but I don't think they'll do much damage on anything but trees and small rocks," Videl muttered.

"You'll get there," Chichi said.

They all sat around the table, and Goten began to comment on the strange spider he'd seen outside. "It was sitting there when we went outside, and it was still there after about an hour or so. Isn't that weird? And when I poked it-"

Chichi wrinkled her nose at that.

"- it didn't run away, it even didn't move, and it didn't feel like spiders do."

"And what are spiders supposed to feel like?" Videl asked with a smile on her face.

Goten shrugged. "Like a bug. This spider felt like . . . metal, sorta."

Gohan frowned. _A metal spider? What in the world is he talking about?_

"You know, I saw a strange spider in Gohan's room early this morning when I went to wake you two up," Chichi remembered.

"And I saw something running across the kitchen floor during breakfast," Videl put in. "It could've been a spider, now that I think about it."

*~*

"Ahh . . . your highness, should we shut down the XG-14?" asked the scientist nervously. "I think they're becoming suspicious!"

The prince just waved his hand. "No, leave it. What could they do to harm us if they found it? Nothing, exactly nothing."

The scientist blinked once, then said, "Of course."

*~*

As they lounged around the house after a hearty lunch, Gohan kept his eyes peeled for the mysterious spider. Videl was playing a board game with Goten, and he was sitting on the couch, watching them.

__

First the spider was in my room, then in the kitchen, then outside where I was training Videl. What could connect those locations? Of course! Both Videl and I were in all three places. Mom was in my room, but not Goten, everyone was in the kitchen, but Goten was outside, and Mom wasn't! Maybe it's following me and Videl . . . or just Videl?

"Say, Videl, could you get my sketch pad from my room, along with a couple of pencils?" Gohan asked.

She turned around and looked at him as if he were crazy. "Excuse me? The last time I checked, you had working legs. Get up and get them yourself."

Goten giggled.

"Come on, Videl. It's _important_." He sent her a meaningful glance.

She looked confused, then stood up. "Uh, sure thing, Gohan. I'll be right back, Goten." Videl left the room and, sure enough, a tiny black spider followed.

__

I was right! Gohan leapt up off the couch and raced into the kitchen. He grabbed one of his mother's Tupperware containers and a lid, then dashed back into the living room where Videl was just returning with Gohan's stuff.

"I've got them, Gohan. Now can you please tell me why you needed me to get them?"

Gohan didn't answer her. He was too busy keeping his gaze trained to the ground with the container in one hand and the lid in the other.

Videl raised an eyebrow. _He's lost it!_ She gasped when he suddenly pounced on the ground, slamming the container on the wooden floor. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"I GOT IT!!!!" cried Gohan, slapping the top onto the clear container. He held it up in the air for all to see. "I caught the spider!"

"OHHHHHHH!!!!!" cried Goten, running up to him. "Can I play with it?"

Gohan shook his head. "Sorry, squirt, but I've got plans for this thing."

"Explain, Gohan," muttered Videl.

"I was thinking that it was strange that a spider just happened to be following us, or particularly Videl. It was in my room, the kitchen and outside, and Videl was in all three places."

"So . . . you think this thing's following me?"

"Yep! I'm going to take it over to Bulma's so she can check it out."

Gohan placed two fingers to his forehead, and Videl recognized the move. "WAIT!! I want to go to, but not that way. I get nauseous every time. Can we fly instead?"

Gohan nodded and changed into Saiyaman. Goten raced outside to call Nimbus. "Mom, we're going to Bulma's!!" called Gohan.

"Okay!" she said back.

Gohan handed Videl the Tupperware container and lead her outside. Goten was already sitting on the fluffy cloud. Videl stared at it, the asked, "What's that?"

"The Flying Nimbus," Goten answered. "Isn't it COOL?!"

__

He's sitting on a cloud . . . well, what should I have expected from the Sons? "Sure . . ."

Gohan wrapped his arms around Videl's waist. "Hold on to that container tight!" They took to the air, with Goten following on Nimbus."

*~*

The scientist didn't see what was so funny. The young prince was laughing his head off, and he didn't seem the least bit worried that they'd been discovered.

"That kid is the one I've been worried about?!" exclaimed the prince.

The scientist wanted to ask what was so funny about it, but decided against opening his mouth. "Should I shut it down now?"

"No, no, no! I have to admit, the boy's smart. I want to see where this is going."

*~*

Goten parted from Videl and Gohan when they reached Capsule Corp and went off to look for Trunks. Gohan pushed the button on his wristwatch, then landed on the ground, making sure that Videl was steady. They knocked on the door, and both were very surprised to see Pikkon answer, and were even more surprised to see him in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt.

"Uh . . . how's it going, Pikkon?" asked Gohan, trying not to laugh.

"Fine. Is there trouble? What do you two need?"

"We just came to see Bulma. Is she in her lab?"

The Midorian nodded. "You can go and see her."

They went back to Bulma's lab where she was working on a motor bike. She looked up from her work when they entered, then smiled. "Hey, you two! What's up?"

Gohan told Bulma what was going on, then handed her the container. "Here's the spider. Could you take a look at it?"

"You want me to look at a _bug_? I'm a machine kind of scientist. I'm not into biology."

"I know, but I don't think it's a bug. Bugs don't usually follow people around."

She sighed, then nodded. "Okay." Bulma shooed them out of the lab, saying, "Come back in an hour, okay?" She closed her door, and a red light above it flicked on.

The two wandered outside and found themselves watching a fight between Vegeta and Pikkon. Goten and Trunks were already sitting there, cheering on the green man, trying to upset Vegeta.

"Pikkon's already beat Dad, like, ten times!" Trunks announced. "He's so cool! Wait 'til he does that fire-spiny thing! It's awesome!"

"SHUT UP DOWN THERE!!" shouted Vegeta as he continued to fight Pikkon in the air.

They all watched as Pikkon soon beat Vegeta into the ground, signaling the end of the fight. "Pikkon won again!" Trunks exclaimed as Vegeta stalked off.

"I bet if _Gohan_ fought Pikkon, he'd win," Goten said proudly. "Wouldn't you, Gohan?"

"Umm . . ." He was terribly out of shape and he secretly feared that he wouldn't be able to keep up with Vegeta, Pikkon, or even his father if he ever got into a fight with them. What good would he do in a battle? He needed to start training. "Well, it's been a while since I last fought . . . I mean, _really_ fought."

Goten didn't like his answer, but went off with Trunks as the two argued over who would win if Piccolo and Pikkon were to fight.

Videl and Gohan roamed around, then returned to the lab and waited outside of the door for Bulma to come out. When she finally did, she looked very excited. Bulma pulled them both inside and began to talk immediately.

"Can you imagine how surprised I was to find out that our 'spider' here is a slightly advanced form of surveillance?" She held the device in her hand. "I had to . . . take it apart to stop it from going after you two when you left, and that gave me a chance to look at it closer. It transmits images back to a 'home base', so it's like a camera."

"Someone was watching me?" asked Videl, shivering a bit.

Bulma nodded. "But there was something else that interested me. Could either of you explain why there's blood on it?"

"WHAT?!" they both exclaimed.

"When I looked under my microscope, I noticed there was some dried blood on it."

"I . . . think I know," said Videl. They turned to look at her as she stared down at her still-bandaged wrist. "Maybe that's how my wrist split so mysteriously last night, Gohan."

"What do you mean?"

"I remember yesterday, when that man grabbed my _wrist_, it felt like a sharp needle pieced my skin. Maybe he implanted that thing in me, and it came out in the middle of the night."

Gohan nodded slowly. "Makes sense . . ."

"Wait a minute!" the older woman exclaimed. "Back up and start at the beginning, please!"

Gohan and Videl told her all that had happened the day before, and then events of the present day. She stared down at the 'bug', then had an idea. She ran up to one of her big computers, then began to punch in a bunch of buttons.

"What are you doing, Bulma?" asked Videl.

She just shook her head and pointed to the 'spider', then placed a finger over her lips. Bulma continued to punch at the computer's keys, and the teens looked on. Neither had an idea what Bulma was doing, but they both suspected that she'd lost her mind.

Bulma was practically jumping up and down and she looked from the screen to her keys over and over again. "Come one, come on . . ." she muttered continuously. _This has to work . . . come on!_

*~*

"Your highness, we're being traced!" cried the scientist as his computer began to beep loudly.

"What are you talking about?" muttered Rattai.

"It seems that the earth woman has begun to lock onto the signals being transmitted by the XG-14!! How? No such technology should exist on this planet!" The scientist began to attack his computer, hacking away at the keys.

Rattai didn't see what he was so upset about. "And what does that mean?"

"If she manages to lock onto the signals, then she'll be able to trace them to our location!! She'll find us!"

"SHUT IT DOWN!!!! SHUT IT DOWN!!!!"

The scientist pushed the 'abort' button quickly, then sighed when the words 'Mission aborted' and 'XG-14 shut down' appeared on the viewing screen.

*~*

Bulma let out a scream of frustration when the signals disappeared. She slammed her fist down onto the keyboard and screamed again. "The bastards!! I almost had them!!!!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Gohan desperately.

"I was tracing the signals emitted by the spider so that I could lock onto the location of where they were being sent to, but the signals are gone. I guess they caught onto me."

"At least you tried, Bulma," said Videl.

"I hope you guys don't mind me keeping the spider. Some of it's components are advanced . . . I'd like to study them."

"Sure Bulma. We'll be going, then."

"Okay, Gohan. Why don't you leave Goten here since you kept Trunks for a while yesterday?"

"Sounds good. Thanks." The exited the house and Gohan changed to Saiyaman. He grabbed Videl's waist tightly and took to the air.

*~*

__

It's not like my efforts were for nothing. Now I know who that clown is and where he lives. I'm sure I can put that information to use. Rattai was staring at the blank screen, trying to come up with a new plan.

__

I noticed the way he was around Videl. He likes her, and he'd probably do anything for her. He grinned. _This, I can use to my advantage._

He turned to the scientist and said, "Prepare the XG-15 prototype and fill it with virus F-49."

The scientist paled at the mention of virus F-49. It was one of the worst viruses he'd had the misfortune to deal with. It originated from a planet they'd purged, where the people there feared it more than anything else. The Saiyans, realized, however, that it had positive uses, like keeping fruits and vegetables fresh longer and were able to control it, and even develop an antidote with their advanced technology. [1] "A-are you sure, your highness?"

"You dare to second guess me?! Of course I'm sure!"

"R-right. Who's it going to?"

"Videl."

*~*

When Gohan and Videl returned home, Videl was exhausted. All of the training and the excitement of the past couple of days had tired her out. She went directly to bed for a short nap, changing out of her t-shirt and shorts into a long nightshirt. Videl climbed into Gohan's bed, pulled the blankets over her and settled back against the pillow, scratching a mosquito bite the whole time.

As Videl slept, Gohan was sat on the living room couch, snacking on an apple and reading a novel at the same time. The house was quiet with Videl napping, his mother out hanging clothes on the clothesline and with Goten gone. Gohan sat down his book and sighed.

This whole thing was getting more and more serious. What had Rattai planned to accomplish with his little camera? He'd probably seen Gohan transform into Saiyaman, the person who'd taken down many of his warriors, but that was about it.

The sound of some one retching broke through Gohan's thoughts. He jumped up off the couch and raced into the bathroom where Videl was hunched over the toilet, throwing up her breakfast. Gohan began to rub her shaky back as dry heaves racked her body. When she was finally done, she slumped back against Gohan, breathing heavily.

"Gohan, I don't feel so good," she moaned weakly.

He placed a hand on her forehead, then snatched it back. She was burning up! He dug through the medicine cabinet for a thermometer, rinsed it off in the sink and stuck it into her mouth. After it beeped, he took it out, then gasped. 105!! Her temp was dangerously high. 108 was fatal. [2]

Gohan picked Videl up, cradling her to his chest and ran out back. "Mom, something's wrong with Videl!"

Chichi saw the girl resting limply in Gohan's arms, then gasped. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"She was throwing up and she has a fever of 105!"

"We need to get her to a hospital right away, Gohan. You'll have to use the transmission- there's no time to fly."

"Right." Before Gohan could raise his hand, Videl's body began to convulse as she coughed up blood onto herself and Gohan's shirt. "Damn!!" He placed two fingers to his forehead and was off.

Chichi raced into the house and picked up the phone. "Bulma, it's me. I need a ride out to Satan General. Videl's in trouble."

*~*

Gohan raced into Satan General Hospital, shouting, "I need some help here!!! Where's a doctor?!!"

The lady at the desk was about to yell at him when she saw that he was holding a bloody Satan Videl. She called over the speaker for a stretcher and a doctor. When they got there, they pried Videl away from Gohan and raced her away.

Gohan stared down at his hands covered in blood . . . Videl's blood . . .

He wanted to kill someone.

*~*

Chichi and Bulma raced into the hospital thirty minutes later and found Gohan pacing in a waiting room in the IC unit. He looked furious, scared and tired at the same time. The two women tried to comfort Gohan the best they could until the doctor arrived.

"Is Videl okay? Can I see her?" demanded Gohan when the man stepped into the room.

"I'm afraid you can't see her right now."

Gohan exploded. "WHY NOT?! I WANT TO SEE HER!!"

Chichi winced, then spoke up. "You'll have to excuse my son. He and Videl are good friends. Can you tell us what's wrong with her?"

"Um . . . my colleges and I aren't sure, ma'am. She's somehow contracted some sort of virus that we've never seen before, so we don't have any treatment, or any idea of what to do."

Gohan paled. "Are you saying . . . that there's nothing you can do?"

"Yes. I'm afraid that if things continue to go the way they are now, she won't live very much longer."

*~*

About an hour later, Gohan and his mother returned home. Gohan was still stunned at the news, that Videl could die any day now, and he was barely aware of his mother changing his bloody shirt and cleaning his hands with a wet rag in the living room. She ushered him onto the couch, and told him to lye down.

He lay there, tears welling up in his eyes at the thought of loosing Videl. Gohan knew at that moment that he was definitely in love with her. She couldn't die without him telling her that he loved her, without him having a chance to be with her.

****

CRASH

He sat up as a black square flew through the living room window, shattering the glass. Gohan watched as the square rose off of the floor and stretched to form a wide, black screen. He stood, then growled as a picture appeared on the screen. "Let me guess," he said, his voice hard and dull, "You must be Rattai."

The prince nodded. "How right you are. Now, let's get down to business. I know of Videl's . . . predicament. The poor thing's sick and there's no cure. Am I right?"

Gohan growled in response.

"Of course I'm right, because I'm the one who gave her the nasty little virus!"

"You WHAT?!! If she dies, then-"

"I know, I know. But I've got a little proposition for you, boy. I have the antidote for the virus right here." He held up a clear vial filled with a blue-green liquid and shook it in the air. "If you give me the girl, then I give her the antidote and she'll live."

Give Videl over to the other side? No, there had to be another way to save her. "No deal. I'm not handing her over to you."

"You say that now, but later . . . you see, boy, this virus comes from a planet far, far away from this one. You'll never find anything here that will be able to save her from the deadly F-49 virus. And get this- she only has forty-eight hours to live. After two days, she'll be dead. I'll be contacting you again later, and you better give me the right answer by then, or your girlfriend will no longer be with us." The prince's image disappeared from the screen and it fell to the floor.

"I know what he's getting at. He thinks, because I love Videl, that I'm going to hand her over to him so that she can live," muttered Gohan to himself. "Well, there's no way I'm going to do that. There's got to be another way . . ."

__

Dragon Balls.

Author's Note: Anyone scared? Hahahahaha!!! I luv cliffhangers. Anyway, do I really need to tell you all how the virus got into Videl? The mosquito bite, duh . . .
    
    [1] Okay, if it has an antidote, then it's not technically a virus. I know that, but virus sounds worse than anything else.

[2] Er . . . I stole this from _Roswell_. Don't kill me if I'm wrong.

****

ADVERTISING: Um . . . sorry?

__

Next Chapter: Gohan uses the Dragon Balls. What will the results be? Use your imagination . . .


	22. II Wishes, Parties and Doubts

Author's Note: Ahh, if you reviewed my story and wanted me to read your Harry Potter fic, could you please e-mail me? I was looking through my reviews for the pen name and stuff but I couldn't find it. It was a Harry/ Hermione story. Thanks! 

Hmm . . . I was remembering a certain Dragon Ball episode where Goku was talking to a woman who was pretending to be a fortune teller in order to steal Goku's Dragon Balls. She was all like, "You have two balls," and stuff. THEN she said, "Can I see them?" Of course, I knew what was coming. Yep, Goku pulled down his pants!! It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. Naturally, his *ahem* were covered with boxers that had Dragon Balls on them, but we all know what was REALLY there! Um . . . did I mention that I don't own DBZ? 

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Twenty Two *~*

Wishes, Parties and Doubts

"Gohan . . . Gohan . . . Gohan . . ."

Hercule watched helplessly as Videl tossed and turned in the hospital bed, moaning the name of the boy who'd kidnapped her. Or, kidnapped her in _his _mind. _What does she want HIM for? She should be calling for her pa, not some goofy, scrawny kid . . ._

Videl was half-awake, and was remotely aware that she was calling out for Gohan. She needed him to be near her, she needed his reassurance that everything was going to be okay, even though she didn't necessarily believe that would. 

Videl moaned again, but this time in pain. She was dizzy, nauseous, both hot and cold, her head felt as if it would split open and ever muscle in her body hurt. Videl knew that she was dying and that the doctors couldn't save her. No one had told her that- she just _knew_. Videl believed that she wouldn't live to see the next day . . . her eighteenth birthday. She _wanted_ to cry . . . she _needed_ GOHAN.

But Gohan wasn't there, so she settled on crying.

*~*

Gohan raced into his room and retrieved his Dragon Ball, the one he'd hidden under his bed for safe keeping. He shouted to his mother that he was going over to Bulma's house, then transmitted himself directly into her lab.

She looked startled. "Gohan! How are you?"

"I'll be a lot better when you hand me the radar," he huffed.

"You mean the one that finds the Dragon Balls?"

"What other radar would I be talking about?"

The older woman glared at him. "You know, if Videl wasn't so sick, then I'd slap you for talking to me that way!" She dug around in a drawer for it, then tossed it to him. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Find the Dragon balls. Does this thing still work?" he muttered, clicking the button on the top.

"Of course it does!! I made it!!"

He sighed in relief as a flashing, orange dot appeared on the screen, representing the Ball that Gohan had with him. Then another appeared and it wasn't too far from CC. "Thanks, Bulma." _Now I hope this works . . . _He locked onto the location of the Dragon Ball with is mind and used Instant Transmission.

Gohan found himself standing in a playground sandbox with two little boys staring up at him. "He, he . . . sorry! I'll be out of your way in a second!" He got to his hands and knees and began to dig in the sand.

"Weirdo," muttered one of the boys as he and his friend walked away.

"AHA!! GOT IT!!" Gohan held up the one star ball. He stuck it in his pocket, then clicked the button on the radar again. He locked onto this location, then used the transmission.

Gohan was surprised to find himself standing out of Satan General hospital, right next to a big bush. He dug around in it and pulled out the two star ball, then headed inside. He went inside and asked if he could see Satan Videl. The woman at the front desk noticed Gohan as the boy who'd saved Videl's life and happily admitted him up to her room.

When he entered, Hercule glared at him, then glanced at Videl as she moaned his name very loudly, reaching into the air. It was almost as if she could _feel _him enter the room.

Gohan ignored Videl's father and went up to her bedside, taking her hands in his. "I'm here, Videl. Shhhh."

She moaned again, then fought to open her eyes. It took so much strength to do even something as simple as that. Videl sighed when she saw Gohan's smiling face. "G-Gohan? Is that you?"

"Yep, it's me."

She smiled weakly, then let it slip away. "G-Gohan . . . I'm dying. I can feel it." She sobbed once. "I don't want to die . . ."

"And I'm not going to let you. I'm going to help you Videl, so don't worry. I have to leave again-" she began to whine, "-but I'll be back soon, okay?"

"O-okay. Don't . . . stay away too long."

Gohan stroked Videl's sweaty forehead, then leaned down to gently kiss it. "Get some rest. It'll be okay."

Videl sighed, then closed her eyes and almost immediately drifted off to sleep. Gohan continued to stroke her forehead until her chest began to rise and fall evenly. _I won't let you down, Videl. I'll get that antidote without handing you over to the other side. _

Behind him, Hercule was stuttering, trying to say something. "W-what . . . you . . . wh-"

"I'm going to get the antidote to help Videl," said Gohan, turning to look at Hercule. "Please keep her company when she wakes up. I'll send a friend of mine here to give Videl the antidote when I get it."

Gohan dug into his pocket and pulled out the radar. The next one was farther away from him than the other two had been. He locked onto the location and disappeared.

In the bed, Videl rolled over onto her side and began to moan. Hercule stared at his daughter. _She started her noise again when that kid left . . . How did she know he was gone? _She moaned louder this time, and Hercule clamped his hands over his ears. _It's driving me mad!! _Hercule quickly fled from the hospital room, leaving Videl alone.

*~*

"And then he got an attitude with me! Can you believe that?!" exclaimed Bulma into the telephone. Chichi, who was on the other, end sighed.

"Really, Bulma, Gohan's very worried about Videl. Give him a break. But you won't believe what I found when I came into the living room! There was broken glass all over the floor. Apparently, something or someone broke the window!! Do you know how much that's going to cost to get fixed?!"

Bulma ignored the other woman's ranting. "I wonder what he wanted the Dragon Balls for."

Chichi paused, then said, "Me too."

"The brat's collecting the Dragon Balls?"

Bulma turned around to see Vegeta, Trunks, Goten and Pikkon enter the kitchen. _Oh, goodie . . . it's the invasion of the men. _She nodded.

"Oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!" cried Goten, his eyes getting big. "I wanna see the dragon!!!! I wanna see the dragon!!!!"

Trunks looked excited too. "I wanna see it too!! Let's go!!"

"SHUT UP!!!" yelled Vegeta. The boys quieted down, shrinking away from him. "Woman, what is he going to do with them?"

"I don't know. Chichi doesn't know either, so get off my back!"

Pikkon looked confused. "What's a Dragon Ball?"

Goten and Trunks began to explain the legend to him, then he nodded. "Something has happened, hasn't it? Mrs. Briefs isn't telling us everything."

Bulma almost smacked herself in the head. "That's right! Videl's really sick, and the doctors can't cure her illness. She's . . . she may die."

Goten began to cry immediately. He buried his head in Trunks' gi and began to wail. "I DON'T WANT VIDEL TO DIE!!!! WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

"GOTEN!! GOTEN!!! It'll be alright," cooed Bulma, trying to calm him down. "She'll be okay!"

He frowned, but stopped crying. "She better!"

"It's quite obvious what Gohan's going to do," Pikkon said logically.
    
    They all turned to look at him.

"He's going to use the wish to get something to help Videl. Like . . ."

"Whatever can cure her illness," Vegeta supplied.

__

Makes sense . . .

Goten brightened. "Hey, if we hurry, we might be able to get the second wish!! Let's go find Gohan!!"

"What are you going to wish for, Goten?" asked Trunks.

"Ahhh . . . oh, oh, oh!! I got it!! I'll wish for Gohan to fall in love with Videl!!"

Trunks smacked him on the back of the head. "The dragon can't do that, baka! Besides, that totally lame and it'd be a waste, since Gohan's already in love with her."

As the boys continued to argue, Bulma turned back to the phone. "Did you hear all of that Chichi?"

"Yes. Isn't Goten so cute?! And Trunks is right, I-"

"I wasn't talking about that! I think we're all going to head up to Dende's Lookout. Gohan will probably come there when he finds al of the Balls. Do you want me to pick you up?"

"Why not?"

"Alright. We'll be there in a few."

*~*

Gohan shivered, then raised his ki as he knelt in the snow, digging for the second to last Dragon Ball. _Yeah, this one just HAD to be on a freezing mountain . . . one always is . . . Wait . . . there it is!!_

Gohan quickly put the Ball in his pocket, then used the radar to find the very last one. _Hang on, Videl . . ._

*~*

Videl woke up slowly, then groaned. She was still in the hospital bed, but this time, she was totally alone. Her father was gone. _He probably decided he had better things to do with his time than sit by his sick daughter's bedside._

But, worst of all, Gohan wasn't there.

She didn't want to cry again, so she forced the tears away. _He said he was going to get something to help me . . . I wonder what he's up to._

Maybe he just said that to make me feel better. I'm probably going to die . . . maybe I'll end up where Gohan's dad is. Or maybe not. Only really good fighters probably go there.

So I'll be floating around in no where for the rest of eternity. Great. Just great.

Videl shook her head. No, she wasn't going to die! She needed to think positive. Gohan always came through for her, no matter what. All the trouble she'd been in, or when she'd needed to talk, he'd been there. He'd pull through for her now, when she needed it the most.

__

I gotta believe in him, I gotta believe . . . I gotta believe . . . I . . . I gotta use the bathroom.

Videl was too weak to move and she refused to call some nurse to take her to the bathroom and watch her tinkle. _Damn . . . damn it all . . ._

She sat and thought for a while, and was just about to call in the nurse when she had an idea. _Maybe this ki stuff will work in different ways. _She dug for her center, which took some work in her weakened state, and released some energy into herself, letting it pulsate throughout her body. Videl felt a little stronger, and slid out of the bed. She placed her unsteady feet on the cold tile floor and made her way to the bathroom.

She did her business and went back to bed, feeling extremely weak. But at least she didn't feel helpless.

__

I'm not going to let some stupid virus beat me down! I am Satan Videl, daughter of . . . damn! [1]

*~*

Dende was shocked to see a big group arriving on his lookout. He rarely ever had visitors, and more than two at a time just didn't happen. Vegeta, Bulma, Trunks, Goten, Chichi and Pikkon (whom he'd heard do _much_ about from Piccolo- not) came in a big jet, while Juuhachi, Krillin and Yamcha came by air. "Did I miss something?" he asked when everyone gathered together. Piccolo was equally surprised, but said nothing.

"Gohan's collecting the Dragon Balls," Chichi said after telling him how sick Videl was. "We guess that he'll come up here to make his wish, and we're all curious as to what the second one will be."

"And here I thought you all wanted to see me," Dende muttered. "He hasn't arrived, so . . . I guess we just . . . wait?"

So, they waited around, with Vegeta grumbling about how slow Gohan was while eyeing the buffet that was being set up by Mr. Popo in celebration of the surprise guests. Dende was talking with Pikkon and he soon became engrossed in the Midorian's stories of battles and heroics, much to Piccolo's dislike.

Gohan flew up to Dende's Lookout with all seven Dragon Balls in hand. He was very surprised to see everyone there, and they looked as if they were having some sort of party with a lot of food spread out on a few tables. They all stopped in mid-conversation to look at him.

"Uh . . . hi, guys! What's up?"

"It took you long enough!" exclaimed Vegeta, who looked anxiously at the Dragon Balls. "Let's get this thing started."

Gohan placed the seven balls on the floor and stepped back. Dende muttered the words to awaken the Eternal Dragon. [2] Goten and Trunks gasped when the huge Dragon arose from the ground with a bright flash of light.

****

You have two wishes. Speak the first.

"I wish I had the antidote to cure the F-49 virus!" Gohan stated clearly.

The Eternal Dragon's eyes flashed. **It is done.**

A vial of blue-green liquid appeared in the air in front of Gohan and he grabbed it. It looked just like the stuff Rattai had . . _. I hope this works._ He handed the vial to Piccolo and said, "I need you to give this to Videl at Satan General Hospital. And please make sure she takes it."

Piccolo wasn't sure why Gohan wanted him to do it, but nodded. He carefully took the vial, then flew away.

****

You have one more wish. I grow impatient.

"Okay! Ahh . . . I wish . . . I wish that Dende and I were on planet Namek!"

****

It is done.

Everyone stared in shock as Gohan and Dende vanished.

Vegeta was the one who broke the silence. "HE'S _NOT . . . _HE IS!!! HE'S GOING TO BRING BACK KAKKAROT!!!!" [3]

*~*

Piccolo flew around the side of the hospital, picking up a slightly familiar ki in one of the rooms. _Must be Videl. _He followed the ki and found her in a room on the fourth floor. Piccolo entered the room through the open window, shooting a glare at Hercule.

The man cowered in a corner of the room, edging away from Piccolo. Hercule remembered him from the Cell Games. He watched helplessly as the green man walked up to Videl's bedside. "W-what are you doing?! Don't hurt her!! She's my baby!!"

Videl's eyes fluttered open at her father's loud voice. She saw the green man standing before her. What was he doing in her hospital room? Maybe he had a message from Gohan! "Piccolo? What are you doing here?" she asked anxiously.
    
    "I've got something to make you feel better from Gohan," he said.

She smiled at him. "I knew he'd come through for me."

Piccolo produced the vial and removed the cork top. He put it up to her lips and told her to drink the liquid inside.

Of course, Hercule thought that Videl was being poisoned, and shouted, "Don't drink it Videl!!!"

She ignored him and drank the thick liquid, letting it slide down her throat. Videl felt better already. Piccolo picked her up and wrapped her in a blanket, heading for the window.

"You're going to kidnap her!" exclaimed Videl's father. "Stop, or I'll . . ."

__

Or you'll what? "She'll be safer where I'm taking her." Piccolo jumped out of the window and flew.

*~*

"They've agreed to let us use their Dragon Balls, as long as we leave a wish for them," said Dende, walking up to Gohan with the new guru, who had the Namekian Dragon Balls in his hands. [4]
    
    "Great!" exclaimed Gohan, rubbing his hands together anxiously.

The new guru set the balls down and said a few words. The Dragon rose. **You have three wishes. Speak the first.**

"I wish that Son Goku was alive!"

The Dragon's eyes flashed. **It is done.**

In order to give the Nameks their wish, Gohan said, "I wish that I, Dende and Son Goku were on Dende's Lookout on earth!"

The Dragon's eyes flashed again. **It is done.**

Gohan and Dende waved goodbye to the Nameks before disappearing.

*~*

__

In Other World . . .

Goku stopped mid-punch. Something was different, he could feel it. He wandered over to a pond, then gasped. His halo was gone!!!!

"**KING KAI!!!!!!!!!!!!**" he cried loudly. King Kai came running. "Where's the fire? Where's the fire?!"

"Look, my halo's gone!" whined Goku.

"Then you're . . . alive!!" King Kai gasped. He felt for his, but . . . it was still there. _Darn it!_

Goku stared down at his hands. "Wow . . . I feel weird!"

King Kai stumbled backwards as Goku fazed out, then totally disappeared.

*~*

When Gohan and Dende arrived back on the Lookout, everyone began to crowd around them, with the exception of Juuhachi, who looked extremely bored. Gohan looked around anxiously for his father.

"What is going ON?!" someone moaned from behind the group.

They all turned around.

And there was Goku. 

Gohan ran up to his father, hugging him tight. "Dad . . . I missed you!!"

"G-Gohan?!" he managed to gasp. "Man, you've gotten big!"

Next, Chichi went up to him, shoved Gohan roughly out of the way, and gave Goku and hug and a long kiss that got some whistles from Yamcha and Krillin. Then Goten came up and asked, "Are you my Daddy?"

Goku's eyes widened. There was a mirror image of himself standing right in front of him . . . "Yes, I am."

The little boy launched himself into Goku's arms, and THIS got "Awww" from almost everyone in the group.

Goku greeted his old friends on by one, and when Pikkon stepped forward, a confused look crossed his face. "Pikkon?! What are you doing here?"

"I'll explain later," was all he said.

Piccolo came out of the 'house' and went up to Gohan. "Your girlfriend's here. She's sleeping."

Gohan didn't even bother to say his usual remark and raced inside. Goku went up to Piccolo's side and said, "Gohan's got a girlfriend?"

*~*

Gohan found Videl asleep in one of the beds in Dende's little house. He immediately placed a hand on her forehead. Her fever was gone. He sighed in relief- the antidote worked.

Videl sighed softly and rolled over in her sleep. "Gohan . . ." she moaned.

Gohan smiled and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. She would be all right.

*~*

Gohan returned to the celebration going on outside, which had truly become a party. Night had fallen and Mr. Popo had managed to string up some lights. There was food and music was blaring from the radio in Bulma's jet.

The Saiyans were stuffing their faces, and Gohan found himself hungry. He sat at the table and joined in, wolfing down a bowl of noodles in less than ten seconds.

Goku, who'd already eaten his fill, was curios about Gohan's girlfriend. Piccolo had just laughed when Goku began to ask questions about her earlier, so he'd dropped the topic when he saw the food. He glanced over at his eldest son, then snuck away from the table. He darted into Dende's home and walked around until he found a girl asleep in a bed.

He walked up to the bed, taking a good look at her. She had dark hair like a Saiyan and from what he could see, she was very pretty. Goku almost jumped back when her eyes fluttered open. "Uh . . . hi?"

Videl blinked several times, then rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "Man, Goten, you've gotten big! How long have I been out?"

Goku laughed a bit. "I'm not Goten."

She narrowed her eyes and gasped. He wasn't Goten!! But then . . . She remembered the picture of Gohan's father sitting on the bookshelf in Gohan's room. His father had looked exactly like little Goten. "Oh . . . you must be Goku then."

He grinned. "That's right!"

"But . . . you're dead. Unless . . ." She groaned, letting her head fall into her hands. "I'm dead, aren't I?"

"What?" Goku scratched the back of his head, frowning.

"If you're dead, and you're with me, then I _must _be dead!"

"No, you're alive. I'm alive too."

Videl was confused. VERY confused. "Wait . . .what?!"

"We're both alive."

"But you're dead."

"**NO**, I'm alive."

"No, you're NOT! Don't play games with me!"

Now Goku was confused. "Huh?"

"You're dead, I'm dead, so we're both dead! Am I in the Other World place that Gohan was talking about?"

"No, you're on _earth_, on Dende's Lookout, and you're very much _alive_!"

"**NO, YOU'RE DEAD**!! Look, you were killed by Cell, remember? Killed, as in dead! No longer alive!"
    
    "I'm not dead." Goku pointed to his head. "See, no halo!"

__

Halo? WHAT? "We're dead, and you're in denial."

"Am not. Look, how about I get Gohan to explain to you?"

Videl gasped. This was not happening! "GOHAN'S DEAD TOO?! How?!"

Goku sighed heavily. "NO, NO ONE'S DEAD! I'll be back." _I can't believe Gohan's girlfriend is a nut case! _Goku left the house and went up to the buffet table. "Hey, Gohan your girlfriend's awake and she thinks she's dead," he said bluntly.

Gohan let his bowl hit fall to the table, spilling noodles and broth everywhere. When some almost dripped onto Vegeta, Gohan leapt away from the table to avoid the man's angry grasp. "Sorry!" Gohan headed to the house with Goku following him.

"You know, Gohan, your girlfriend's flipped. She thinks we're all dead!" announced Goku.
    
    "Dead? What?!"

"I don't know! I'm confused to!"

When Gohan and Goku entered the room, Videl frowned. "I was right, Gohan's dead too! How did this happen?"

Gohan scratched the back of his head. "Videl . . . we're not dead."

"Yes, we are!" She pointed to Goku. "There's your dad, and he's dead. If we're with him, then we must be dead too!"

Gohan blinked several times, then began to laugh and had to place one hand on Videl's bed to keep him from slumping onto the floor. His father looked at him strangely, and Videl thought that Gohan had flipped his lid. "This isn't funny, Gohan!" moaned Videl. "We're DEAD!!"

"No we're not," protested Goku. "Gohan, stop laughing and tell her!"

"Okay, okay . . ." Gohan forced away his giggles. "The reason why my dad's alive is because I used the Dragon Balls to wish him back after I wished for the antidote to cure you."

"Ohhh . . . that makes sense, I guess." Videl laughed. "I acted a little . . . crazy there, didn't I?"

Gohan nodded.

Goku stepped forward. "Hi, Videl. I'm Goku. It's nice to see Gohan with a girlfriend."

"I'm not Gohan's girlfriend," she replied. "But it's nice to meet you. Did Gohan tell you that we're dating?"

Goku grinned and nodded.

Gohan gasped. "I did NOT!! **DAD**!!"

"Okay, okay! I was just joking."
    
    She snickered, then looked down at herself. She was still wearing the hospital gown. "Say . . . Gohan . . . you wouldn't happen to have some clothes for me, would you?" Videl asked shyly.

"No, sorry. But Piccolo can get you some!" Gohan quickly left the room, bringing back Piccolo. "Can you get her some clothes?"

"Sure thing." He placed a hand on her head and a purple outfit much like Piccolo's (but had a white shirt underneath the top) appeared in place of the hospital gown. "There."

"Cool!" Videl got out of the bed, the sound of music and laughter reaching her ears. "Hey, is there a party going on outside?" she asked.

Gohan nodded and led her outside. Both his mother and Bulma began to fuss over her, drawing her away from Gohan as Videl tried to determine exactly where she was. Trunks and Goten jumped all over her, making sure she was _really_ okay.

"Jeez! I can't have _one minute_ alone with her!" Gohan muttered under his breath. Unfortunately, his father heard his remark and nudged his son in the ribs, winking the whole time.

"Planing to ask her to go out with you, huh?"

Gohan turned red. "NO!!"

"But you like her, don't you Gohan?"

"Well . . . yeah . . ." His face turned redder. "I like her a lot."

"So what's the problem?"

"She . . . I don't think she'd want to go out with me," he moped, feeling a bit sorry for himself. "I don't think I'm her type."

Goku frowned. "Her type?"

"Yeah. When we first met, she thought I was a geek, a nobody. I'm afraid she might still think of me that way."

"You'll never know until you ask."
    
    Gohan didn't say anything. Goku walked away, pulled Videl away from Chichi and Bulma and gently pushed her into Gohan's arms. "Why don't you two dance?"

"DAD . . ." Gohan hissed.

"Please? Make this old man happy?"

Videl rolled her eyes. "You're not old. But . . ." A slow dance began to play from Bulma's radio. "How about it Gohan?"

" . . . Sure." He pulled her into a more secluded area, which only caught the attention of the two scheming mothers and caused them to inch closer and closer to them as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Videl placed her head on Gohan's chest. _This is nice . . . I could get used to this . . ._ "Gohan, thank you again."

"For what?" he asked softly.

"For saving me. If you hadn't wished for the antidote, then I'd be dying now. I wouldn't live to see my eighteenth birthday. Tomorrow."

Gohan froze. Her birthday was _tomorrow_?!! "I . . . no problem, Videl. All in a day's work!" he said in his 'Saiyaman voice'. _I don't have a gift for her . . . oh, man!!_

She chuckled. "Well, thanks all the same."

"Hmm . . ." Gohan pulled her closer to him and sighed. Holding her felt so _right_ . . . he hated to be apart from her. _I've gotta work up some courage to tell her how I feel . . . that I love her . . ._

Videl was thinking along the same lines as Gohan. _I want to tell him that I like him . . . as in more than a friend . . . _She sighed softly, closing her eyes tightly. But Videl was having second thoughts. Sort of. [5]

Videl didn't exactly believe in love. With her parent's failed marriage, and with the break up of most of her friend's parents, it was hard to believe that something like that truly existed. Maybe Chichi and Goku were an exception, but she didn't know many happily married couples. She was a little scared that she only _thought _that she had some sort of feelings for Gohan because they were so close, and that if she got involved with him, their relationship would only lead to a harsh breakup and a heartbroken Videl. Most guys weren't ready for a serious relationship, something Videl craved. She wanted more than casual dating, more than the outings to the movies and a dinner at a restaurant. Was Gohan ready to give that to her?

He was a lot more serious than the other boys she knew, so that had to count for _something_. But maybe he didn't feel the same way she did, or maybe he would agree to go out with her because he felt _sorry_ for her . . . that had to be worse than plain old rejection. She was afraid to open her heart to that possibility when it had remained closed for 99% of her life.

But then again . . . there was the slim chance that Gohan felt the same way she did, that he wanted to be with her.

Videl sighed again. This was getting harder and harder every day.

__

Have faith in Gohan . . . believe in Gohan . . . he's always come through for you, Videl, and he will this time, too.

Author's Note: Hmm . . . it seems that Videl has an issue with love and Gohan's scared . . . what will they do about it? And it's very important to realize that Videl's learning to use her ki for something other than blasts and/or flying.

[1] She was about to say 'daughter of Hercule, the strongest man in the world' but that's not really true, is it? J

[2] Are there words? I mean, with Dende's new set of Dragon Balls?

[3] You all should've seen this coming. Everyone gathering in one place? The food? Hmm . . .
    
    [4] Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he the guy who's sorta in charge of the Nameks? I saw a few episodes when they were on Namek with Freeza, but I'm not sure.

[5] Notice she doesn't say 'love' here. *~* Wink Wink *~*

****

ADVERTISING: The Choice is Simple by Crystal Delphina. Just read it.

__

Next Chapter: It's party time!! Gohan plans a surprise birthday party for Videl. Goku has a heart to heart with Videl about her . . . problem. Now isn't that nice? AND . . . someone decides to crash Videl's party . . . E-mail me and if you want a hint, even if you don't have any clue who it is!!!!


	23. II Happy Birthday, Videl!

Author's Note: I'm back! Sorta long chapter here. No one managed to guess correctly who crashed the party, so here it is!

I don't own any part of DBZ, just this plot and any people I just happen to make up.

I've just realized that I can't write Goku in character. Sorry if he's OOC, but I really tried!!

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Twenty Three *~*

Happy Birthday Videl!

Dende eventually kicked everyone off of his lookout, claiming that he, as the Guardian of the earth, needed his rest. He conveniently didn't hear Krillin say, "I thought Nameks didn't need to sleep," and told them all as kindly as he could to go away. Company was nice, but . . .

Everyone except Vegeta and Juuhachi gave Goku an enthusiastic goodbye, reluctantly leaving their old friend.

Goku gathered his family around and gently slung a sleeping Goten over his shoulder. He glanced at Videl, who was standing very close to Gohan. "Do you need a lift home, Videl?"

She looked uncomfortable for a moment, then glanced up at Gohan. He shot his mother a look. Chichi took over. "Um, Goku, Videl's staying with US for a while," she said calmly.

Goku looked surprised. Well, he WAS surprised! Had he missed something? Obviously. "Um, okay . . ."

"I'll explain everything later, Dad," Gohan said.

"Right." Goku reached over and placed a hand on Chichi's shoulder and was just about to go for Gohan when his son touched Videl's arm and winked at him. Gohan placed two fingers to his forehead and vanished. Goku stared at the spot where the two had been standing, his mouth wide open. _Wow! Gohan tough himself IT?! I wonder how much he's improved over the years._

Goku followed Gohan's example and zapped into his house. He looked around. Things had changed a bit, but not too much. _Ahh . . . it's good to be home!_

Chichi took Goten from his shoulders and went to put him to sleep. Goku wandered down the hall, noting that there were some extensions added to the house. If Goten had his own room, Chichi must have had it built on. [1] He stopped outside of Gohan's room, hearing two soft voices inside. He peeked into the room and had to slap a hand over his mouth to keep himself from gasping out loud.

What was Videl doing getting into Gohan's bed?!

He thought that they were only friends, so why were they sharing a bed? And why was Chichi letting them? He continued to watch, then nodded slightly when Gohan pulled a cot from the corner of the room. _So they're NOT sharing a bed . . . but they're still in the same room._

"It was quite a day, wasn't it, Gohan?" Videl was asking softly as she pulled the blankets up to her chin.

"Sure was," Gohan muttered. "Are you feeling better?"

"Much better. I know I said it earlier, but thank you so much, Gohan. You saved my life. Again."

Gohan turned pink and scratched the back of his head. "It was nothing. I wasn't going to let you die Videl. You know I'd do anything to protect you."
    
    Neither of them said anything for a while. Then Gohan flicked off the lights and walked towards the doorway of his room.

"Where are you going?" Videl asked.

"To talk to my Dad. Night, Videl."

"Goodnight, Gohan."

Goku dashed down the hall quietly and threw himself onto the couch, trying to make it look like he'd been sitting there the whole time. He whistled softly and stared up at the ceiling.

Gohan was immediately suspicious. "Hey, Dad."

"Hi Gohan!"

Gohan sat next to his father. " . . . you were spying on me, weren't you?"

Goku laughed nervously. "W-what do you mean? SPYING? That's something Chichi would do, not ME!"

"You were." That was a statement.

Goku looked guilty. "Aw, okay, so I was."

His son chuckled softly.

"But you and Videl are so CUTE! I didn't know she was staying in YOUR room. Why is she here?"

"Well, it has to do with why you're back, Dad. You see, something's happened." Gohan told his father about Rattai and the Saiyans and Videl's involvement, as well as his. "Rattai only knows of Videl's power, and not mine, so he'll be after her, not me. I've got to keep her safe, Dad. You know why."

Goku nodded.

"He gave her this virus . . . a lethal virus. I was FURIOUS, Dad. She was going to die in two days if I didn't hand her over to him . . . but then I thought about the Dragon Balls."

"You wished for the antidote."

"Yep. I gave it to Piccolo, who gave it to Videl. Then I used the second wish to get to Namek-sei where I used those Dragon Balls to wish you back and onto earth. I know you wanted to stay in Other World, but we could really use your help." Gohan hesitated. "Besides, I'm not sure I'll be any help in this fight."

Goku frowned, not liking his son's tone of voice at all. "What do you mean?"

"I've been slacking off, Dad. During these past seven years, I've been studying instead of training, and I've lost . . . _it_. I'm not as strong as I used to be."

"It'll be alright, Gohan. Don't stress yourself about it."

Gohan gapped at his father. How could he be so calm about all of this? When the fate of earth was on the line? "I HAVE to Dad. I know you're expecting me to save the day again, and-"

"I'm not expecting that, Gohan. But I am expecting you to try your best, and that's all I can really ask of you."

Gohan shook his head. "You don't understand. I've . . . well, unconsciously, I've made this promise to myself that I will protect Videl, _no matter what_. If I'm not the strongest, then I can't. I have yet to meet Rattai in a battle, but I'm afraid that I wouldn't stand a chance against him."

His son was definitely in love with Videl. He'd felt something similar with Chichi, the strong need to protect her, but nothing like Gohan did. "You worry too much," he said lightly, waving off Gohan's concerns. "You're only a teenager. You're not meant to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders."

Gohan was surprised. His father rarely said anything like that. "Gee, Dad . . . you're smart!"

He gave the Son Grin ™. "I know. Now, let's talk more about _Videl_," he said in a sing-song voice.

Gohan blushed. "DAD!!!"

"No, really! It's not everyday my son falls in love! How did you meet her?"

Gohan told him the story about enrolling in Orange Star High, becoming Saiyaman, then the drawing. Goku was very curious about Saiyaman and laughed when he heard that his son had gone to live with Hercule himself. "Well, your story is weirder than mine and Chichi's!"

"Imagine if we get married at the Tenkaichi Budokai," mused Gohan. Goku raised an eyebrow. "What did you just say?"

Gohan shook his head quickly. "Nothing!"

Goku chose to forget the marriage part, but said, "There's a Tenkaichi coming up? When?"

"Oh, very soon. Videl, Krillin and Juuhachi are entering."

"Not you?"

Gohan shook his head.

"Hmm . . . maybe . . . I think I'll enter!! Sounds like fun, reliving my glory days . . ."

Gohan snickered. "If you're going to enter, then Vegeta will, then Piccolo, and I'm sure Pikkon will too, so he can fight you again."

"Probably. What a day that will be! Say, Gohan, we could train together, maybe . . ."

"I'm sorta working with Videl. Teaching her ki and stuff."

Goku winked. "Gotcha."

Gohan ignored his father. "Speaking of Videl . . . her birthday's tomorrow. I have nothing for her, and no ideas."

"I'm not good with gifts, Gohan. You'll have to ask Chichi about that one." Goku stood up and stretched, yawning loudly. "MAN, I'm BEAT!! After that wild party-"

Gohan leapt up. "THAT'S IT!! A _party_! A surprise party for Videl!!"
    
    Chichi entered the room and glared at both of them. "Shhh! You'll wake Videl and Goten."

"Sorry, ma."
    
    She smiled and went over to Goku, wrapping her arms around his slim waist. "Were you two having a man to man talk while I was gone? Did I miss anything?"

Gohan shook his head. "I'm going to bed. See you two in the morning."

Neither Chichi nor Goku heard Gohan. They were too busy making out on the couch.

*~*

Videl woke up early the next morning. The first thing she saw was the glowing red numbers on Gohan's digital clock. She was finally eighteen.

The only problem was, did anyone else know?

She's told Gohan the night before. But he was dense, as dense as they came, and he probably didn't catch it. Videl sighed and sat up in bed.

__

So, how does it feel to be an adult?

The same way it did when I wasn't.

Ah, but the privileges! You don't have to live with your Dad, you can stay out later, you can get married . . .

Videl slid out of bed, noticing that Gohan was not lying on the cot. Wondering where he was, she walked down to the bathroom and opened the door. She screamed when she caught sight of Goku, fresh from the shower, with nothing more than a _tiny_ towel wrapped around his waist.

__

Ohmygodohmygodohmy**god** . . .

Goku just stared at her as she continued to scream. What was so scary? Was there a bug on the wall or something? He looked around, but didn't see anything.

Gohan came running down the hall, followed by Chichi. They were shocked to see Videl standing in the bathroom doorway, screaming her head off while covering and uncovering her face with her hands. The two were even more surprised to see Goku standing practically naked in the bathroom, searching for something.

Gohan immediately realized what was wrong with Videl and grabbed her shoulders, spinning her around. He pulled her close to him and told her that she could look.

She hesitantly opened her eyes.

Gohan began to laugh. It was just TOO funny!

Videl hit Gohan hard in the stomach, causing him to gasp for air. She walked past him with her head up high, face flaming. "It's NOT funny."

Goku was still confused. "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing, dear," answered Chichi, stifling her giggles. "Just . . . go about your business." She closed the bathroom door, then exploded with laughter, sagging against her eldest son for support. Gohan started to laugh, too.

Goten wondered down the hallway, glanced at his mother and brother, who were leaning against the wall laughing their heads off, then walked into the kitchen. Videl was sitting at the table and her face was awfully red. "You're not sick again, are you?" Goten asked worriedly.

"No, I'm not. Don't worry about it."

Goten accepted her answer and began to jump up and down. "I can't wait to see Daddy! I wish he'd hurry up and get out here!!"

__

I saw too much of your Daddy . . . Videl glared at Chichi and Gohan as they came back into the kitchen. "Are you two done laughing at me?" she asked stiffly.

"Aw, Videl, we weren't laughing at you," Gohan said, a big smile on his face. "I hope you're not traumatized!"

"Shut up!"

Chichi winked at Videl. "Now you see why I married Goku. The package . . ."

__

TOO much . . . way too much . . . Videl shivered.

Gohan paled. "MA!!!!!! Don't talk like that around me, please!!"

Chichi just laughed like a maniac. _It's good to be a family again . . ._

*~*

Goku watched as Videl fired ki blasts, one after another, at her moving target- Gohan. He was flying overhead, taunting and teasing Videl. Apparently, she was still mad at him for laughing at her because she was ruthless and quick with determination. _She's pretty good, to be Hercule's daughter!_

"TAKE THIS!!! AND THAT!!! HOW DO YOU LIKE **THAT**?!!!" she cried, firing her pinkish purple blasts at Gohan.

He dodged them all, taunting her even more. "Come on, Videl, you couldn't hit me even if you wanted to!"

"Who says I don't want to?!" She raised both hands over her head and gathered up a lot of energy. She brought her hands down and fired one clean shot at Gohan.

It nipped him on the shoulder, tearing away part of his gi.

Gohan patted the placed where she'd hit him. "You're getting better! Last time, your blast didn't even tear the fabric."

This only made Videl even angrier. "SON GOHAN, I-"

"Sorry! Sorry!! Didn't mean to upset you!!" Gohan came up to her, holding his hands up. "How about we take a break? I've got some . . . business to attend to."

She looked suspicious. "What business?"

"Nothing! I'm going inside."

She watched as Gohan went into the house. _He **forgot**. Gohan forgot my birthday!! That JERK!! I'll kick his ass!! _Videl turned to Goku. "Do you want to spar with me?"

"Why not."

Meanwhile, Gohan was shifting through Videl's things, then pulled her address book out of one of her suitcases. He flipped through the pages, looking for the numbers of her friends.

The phone rang suddenly. Gohan jumped, then answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Gohan! This is Bulma. What are you up to?"

"Just . . . planning Videl's surprise birthday party. She turned eighteen today."

"Ohhh, the big one-eight!! A surprise party, hmm . . . I've got an idea! We'll have it over at my place!"
    
    "Really? That's cool. Thanks!"

"My pleasure. Not, let's get started . . ."

*~*

"You're going to WHAT?!!!" roared Vegeta, shooting daggers at his wife with his eyes. Pikkon looked indifferent, while Trunks was hopping with excitement.

"I'm hosting Videl's surprise party. Tonight. So I need you all to be on your best behavior." She looked Pikkon over, then said, "I mean, Trunks and Vegeta."

"WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" roared Vegeta. "And you will NOT have this party here, woman!!!"

"Too late! I've hired caterers and decorators, everything. In fact they should be arriving any moment." The doorbell rang. "And there they are!"

Vegeta stalked away angrily. _Damn onna . . ._

*~*

Gohan flew to Capsule Corp to check up on how things were going with Videl's party. As he flew through the air, his thoughts drifted back to the angry look on her face she'd gotten when he told her that he was going out. When he wouldn't tell her why, she got angrier and ran away. He'd thought he'd seen tiny tears in the corner of Videl's eyes, but dismissed it.

Now he was wishing that he hadn't.

__

I bet she thinks that I've forgotten her birthday. But I can't tell her that I haven't, or else it might ruin the party!

Gohan sighed. This woman thing was hard. Here he was, trying to do something nice for Videl, and she wasn't even speaking to him!

Gohan finally landed at Capsule Corp. When he arrived, Trunks and Goten eagerly pulled him into the house and to a room he'd never seen before. It was huge, probably a ballroom.

"THIS is where we're having the party!" Trunks exclaimed. "Isn't this COOL?!"
    
    Gohan nodded in appreciation. "I can't wait till all of the decorations are up. This place is going to look great!"

Goten and Trunks wandered over to a group of caterers and began to request certain foods for the party.

Bulma came up to Gohan, her arms full of different colored crepe paper. "What's Videl's favorite color?" she asked, glancing down at the rolls in her hands.

" . . ."

"GOHAN!! Come on . . ."

"Sorry! I . . . never asked. Blue, I guess. Everyone likes blue."
    
    Bulma rolled her eyes. She called a man over and told him to do everything in blue and silver, then returned her attention to Gohan. "Don't you worry about a thing, Gohan. I'll have everything set up here. You just make sure you get her here on time, and that she doesn't suspect a thing."

He nodded.

" . . . you know, this place would be wonderful for a reception. When you and Videl get married, maybe-"

"WOAH!!! Cut it out, Bulma!" he whined.

She laughed. "Sure thing. Remember, seven-fifteen!"

*~*

Videl was angry. She was pissed, ticked off, any other synonym for mad. As she stomped around the Son home, mumbling incoherent things under her breath, Goku made sure to steer clear of her. He didn't want to get on _her _bad side. Goku knew that his eldest son would be in a heck of a lot of trouble when he returned.

It was lunchtime, and, as usual, Goku was stuffing his face with food. Videl was sitting at the table, poking at her noodles with her chopsticks. Chichi was taking a nap in their room.

__

She's not eating . . . not eating is not a good sign. "What's wrong Videl?" he asked, trying to ignore the dull roar of his stomach. He told himself that his son's relationship with his future wife was more important than filling his gut, although his body didn't feel the same.

"It's . . . nothing."

"It's about Gohan, right?"

" . . ."

"You like him." That was a statement.

She looked up, surprised. "I . . . is it that obvious?"

Goku shook his head. "I've noticed, that's all. Are you having troubles with Gohan? You can tell me about it."

Videl sighed. Goku seemed like a very friendly, trustworthy guy, someone she could confide in. "Can you . . . keep a secret?"

Goku nodded eagerly.

"I think I'm in love with Gohan."

Goku grinned. "That's GREAT!! So what's the problem?"

"I haven't had good experiences with love. My Dad's marriage was a failure from the start, and so were the marriages of my friend's parents. You could say . . . I'm not sure that love actually exists."

"What do you mean?"
    
    "I don't want to get hurt, that's all. I mean, what if I'm over analyzing my feelings for Gohan. They could be nothing more than friendly. Then there's the whole rejection thing . . ."

"It seems to me that you're _already_ over analyzing this whole thing! Go with the flow, follow your heart . . . that kind of stuff." He chuckled. "When I went to the Tenkaichi Budokai, I expected to leave with the championship belt, not a wife!"

Videl gasped. "You and Chichi got married there?!"

He nodded. "I don't even remember some of it, it all happened so quickly! But look, I'm happily married and . . ." Goku leaned forward, whispering, " . . . very much in love."

"Oh . . ."

"Just let things come and I'm sure things will be okay."

Videl jumped up and gave Goku a big hug. He gasped for air. "Thank you so much! I feel a lot better, but . . ."

"What?"

"GOHAN STILL FORGOT MY BIRTHDAY!!!!"

*~*

When Gohan entered the house, he saw his father sitting on the couch with his mother practically lying in his lap. He smiled and asked, "Where's Videl?"

"Out back training," replied Goku. "How's the party coming along?"

"Just great!"

"Hmm . . . if you're going to talk to her, be careful. She's pretty upset that you 'forgot' her birthday," Goku snickered.

Gohan paled. Man, he was in for it! "Thanks for the tip . . ." He went back into his room and stuck Videl's gift in his underwear drawer so that she would not find it. He then went outside and watched Videl practice with her ki blasts for a while.

She seemed to sense that he was there because she stopped and turned to look at him. Gohan shifted his weight nervously, expecting an explosion. Videl just blinked at him, turned her back to Gohan and continued firing her ki blasts.

__

Ouch, the cold shoulder!

Gohan winced, then went up to Videl. "What's wrong?" he asked, pretending to not know why she was upset.

He thought he heard a faint growl come from her, but shook it off. Videl lowered her hands and faced him, giving him an unusually sweet smile. "Nothing's wrong, Gohan. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some more work done."

Gohan gave her a hesitant smile. "Do you want my help?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

" . . . okay. I guess . . . I'll . . ." Gohan looked around helplessly. He could tell that she was very upset that he hadn't 'remembered' her birthday, but there wasn't much he could do about it.
    
    Videl stared at him for a long time, her anger slowly building. When he gave her the Son Grin™, she nearly screamed and drove her fist into his stomach for the second time in one day. Gohan gasped for air and clutched his belly, bending over slightly. She stalked past him and into the house, ignoring Goku and Chichi who were making out on the couch and entering Gohan's room. Videl flopped down on the bed and buried her face in the pillow, eventually drifting off to sleep.

*~*

Hours later, Videl was still asleep and Gohan was watching television in the living room. His parents had gone out into town to do some shopping for Videl's birthday present and told him that they would be waiting for them at Capsule Corp. Gohan glanced down at his watch. _I'd better go wake Videl up. The party'll be starting soon and we've got to fly there._

Gohan went into his room and shook Videl awake. She stared up at him, then remembered that she was supposed to be mad. "What do you want?"

"Er . . . Bulma wants you to come over to Capsule Corp to try out some invention of hers."

She looked Gohan over suspiciously but got up anyway. Videl left the room without another word and went into the bathroom to freshen up. Gohan stuck Videl's gift into his pocket and went into the living room. She joined him about fifteen minutes later and gave him an icy look.

A sweat drop rolled down the back of Gohan's head. He grinned slightly and held out his hand for her to take. "We'll fly. Are you ready?"

She looked down at his hand warily and took it. Gohan led her outside, wrapped his arms around her waist and took to the air.

Gohan flew slowly to Capsule Corp, much to Videl's agitation. At that moment, she didn't want to be in Gohan's arms any longer than she had to be- she was STILL mad at him, after all- and removed herself from his grip when they landed on the front lawn of CC. She rang the doorbell, then glanced at Gohan when no one answered.

He glanced down at his watch. _Okay . . . it's time. _Gohan opened the door- it wasn't locked- and went in. Videl followed him.

The place was disserted and quiet. TOO quiet. Where were the two rambunctious little boys? Where was Vegeta and why wasn't he yelling his head off about something? Videl grew concerned, but followed Gohan to a room she'd never seen before.

Gohan cleared his throat and said in loud, choppy sentences, "I bet Bulma's in here! Let us go inside!!"

Videl rolled her eyes. _What is he up to?_

Gohan slowly opened the door and pulled her into the dark room. He flicked on the lights.

"SURPRISE!!!!!!!"

Videl jumped back and gasped. "What . . . what . . ."

"Happy birthday Videl!" exclaimed Gohan.

__

He didn't forget . . . he planned all of this for ME . . .

Gohan pushed her further into the room where Videl was greeted by all of the people she'd met on Dende's Lookout. Dende himself was there with Mr. Popo. The only person missing was Vegeta, but she didn't really care whether he was there or not.

Gohan led her over to a long table covered in a blue tablecloth. On top was a mound of presents, and a huge cake was at the very end.

Chichi scolded Goten and Trunks for trying to stick their fingers in the icing and pulled them to the other end of the table where everyone had gathered around.

Videl was looking around in awe. She'd never had a birthday party before. She hadn't been expecting any of this. She barely knew most of these people, yet they were here, celebrating this special day with her. And they'd gotten her gifts! Suddenly, Videl burst out in tears.

Gohan looked worried and asked, "What's wrong?!"

"I . . . thank you all! This is wonderful . . ."

They all laughed and told Videl to begin opening gifts. She agreed and began to open them one by one. Videl was surprised to receive a gift from Juuhachi, which turned out to be a very nice training gi. Piccolo had even gone out of his way to get her a pure diamond he'd found in a mountain he visited often.

Soon, once all of the gifts were opened, Bulma announced, much to all of the Saiyan's delight, that the buffet was now open. She then realized that Vegeta would be extremely upset if he missed out on the food and sighed.

"Something wrong, Bulma?" asked Videl.

"Not really. I'm going to go get Vegeta."

"Oh, no! You did all of this for me. I'll go find him. Is he outside?"

Bulma looked Videl over. "Yeah. Although I can't understand why you want to go get him . . ."

Videl headed outside, a little happy to get away from the loud noise of the party for just a second. _It's a nice night,_ she mused, glancing up at the stars. Videl froze when she saw the sky open, forming a big, black hole. Videl took several steps back, but kept her eyes on the sky.

A yellow space pod tumbled out of the hole, crashing into the ground not too far from Videl with a big BOOM. The crash shook the ground, and Videl fell over onto her side. The ship teetered on its four legs dangerously. _It's gonna tip . . ._

Two of the legs caved in, and the ship fell onto its side with another loud BOOM. Dust and smoke filled the air, clouding Videl's vision.

She coughed and waved her hand in front of her face. As the air cleared, Videl sat up and crawled closer to the pod.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open and someone tumbled out, groaning and mumbling something under his breath.

Videl gasped. She gently lifted the boy's head and placed it in her lap. "Hey, are you okay?"

The boy groaned again and opened one eye. He grinned, then said in a slurred voice, "Am I in heaven? You look like an angel . . ."

She rolled her eyes. _Poor guy must be disoriented. _She brushed a lock of his long, dirty hair from his face. "Can you get up? I'll take you into the house to get some help . . ." Videl took another look at the boy's hair. "Woah . . ."

It was lavender, just like Trunks'.

"VIDEL!!! VIDEL, ARE YOU OKAY?!!!" Gohan cried, running up to her. "There was a big explosion, and . . ." He glanced at the familiar space ship, then at the boy in Videl's lap. "TRUNKS?!!!"

Mirai Trunks winced. "Could you keep the volume down? I've got a killer headache . . ."

"Trunks? Wait a minute . . ." Videl was very confused.

Mirai stared at Gohan for a while, then chuckled. "Is that you, Gohan? You're huge!"

"Yeah, it's me. YOU haven't changed a bit."

"I've been lost in time for days . . ." he muttered. "But it looks like YEARS have passed here."

Gohan lifted Trunks up and let him lean on him. "Seven years after Cell."

"Oh."

Videl jumped up off of the ground. "What's going on?!"

"I'll explain it later, when we get inside." Gohan led Trunks to CC with Videl following him. They went into the room where the party was being held. Everyone looked up at them, then the boy hanging all over Gohan.

"TRUNKS?!" shrieked Bulma, running up to her other son. "You look HORRIBLE!! What happened?"

Chibi Trunks glanced down at himself. "What? I don't look bad!"

Everyone but Goten, Chibi Trunks and Juuhachi crowded around, asking questions.

"I'll be FINE, Mom, when I get something to eat!" Mirai whined waving all of concerned friends away. "I haven't had any food for DAYS!!"

"You poor baby," she cooed, giving him a chair to sit in. "TRUNKS, GET ME A BIG PLATE OF FOOD NOW!!!"

Chibi Trunks came up with a plate of food in his hand and nearly dropped it when he saw the boy sitting in the chair. "You're ME!!" he exclaimed.

Videl, meanwhile, was very confused. No one would tell her anything, they were too busy worrying over this new Trunks. _Wait . . . he said he was lost in time . . . so he must be the Mirai Trunks from the Cell Games!_

Vegeta suddenly burst into the room, catching everyone's attention. His usual blue spandex was a little dirty, and there was mud in his hair. "WHY is there a big spaceship in the front yard?!!!" he roared, a vein his forehead throbbing. Well, wouldn't you be angry if YOU'D fallen into a giant crater? There he was, walking back to the house to demand some food when the ground disappeared from under his feet. Not to mention the fact that he had a **big welt** on the back of his head. When he'd fallen inside, he'd hit his head hard on the side of a yellow space ship.

"Nice to see you too, Vegeta," mumbled Mirai.

"What are YOU doing back here?" he demanded, stomping over to him. Ah, yes, he remembered the spaceship NOW. It was his other brat's time machine.

Mirai sighed. "Look, I've been lost in space ever since the day I left THIS time to go home after the Cell Games. I was in that spaceship for days, but seven years managed to pass HERE." [2]

Goku grinned. "Weird!"

Mirai gapped at him, noticing Goku for the first time. "WHAT?!! Goku's ALIVE?!"

"Yep!" Goku said proudly.

Gohan stepped forward and took the chance to explain everything that had happened to Trunks. It took about thirty minutes, with the input of several people.

Now it was a BIG celebration- Videl was eighteen and Mirai Trunks was back, and would be there until his mother managed to fix his busted machine. Videl didn't mind one bit that her big day was being overshadowed. She didn't like being the center of attention.

Mirai Trunks, however, was loving it. He was busy telling Goten, Chibi Trunks and even Goku what it was like to be trapped in a tiny spaceship floating through time without a decent meal. Videl was busy apologizing to Gohan in a corner of the room.

She looked sheepish. "I'm really sorry for acting so mean to you toady. I just though that you forgot me birthday after that hint I gave you on Dende's Lookout last night."

"It's okay. I understand."

Videl playful poked at Gohan's stomach. "I didn't hurt you when I punched you, did I?"

Gohan flushed, then shook his head wildly. "No, I'm just fine!"

She smiled at his obvious discomfort. "Gohan . . ."

"Yes, Videl?"
    
    "There's music playing . . ."

"So . . ."

"Aren't you going to ask me to dance?"

*~*

Prince Rattai sat in his velvet red chair and stared at the ceiling. He'd received no word from the boy, and Videl's time was almost up. Something was wrong. Had the boy somehow _outsmarted _him? Didn't he CARE whether the girl lived or died?

The young prince got up out of his chair and crossed the room, going over to his personal computer. "I need a ki reading on subject A, Videl."

**__**

Processing information said the computerized voice. A few seconds later came **_Subject A's ki_** **level is normal. No problems detected**.

Impossible! Somehow, the boy had found a way to save Videl without handing her over to him. _Well, I'll just have to take a different approach. When I was watching them . . . they were training for something. What was it?_

"Computer, do you know of any sort of fighting competitions going on around this planet?"

There were a few beeps. **_There are many, but the Tenkaichi Budokai is the most popular. Scheduled to appear- Satan Hercule, Satan Videl-_**

"Satan Videl, hmm?" _This Tenkaichi Budokai may very well be my ticket to the girl and her energy . . ._

*~*

As Mirai Trunks finally finished his story, the smaller version of himself said eagerly, "Are you gonna enter the Tenkaichi Budokai?! You should!"

__

A world tournament? "Hmm . . . I guess so . . ."

Goku looked excited. "I'm entering!" he announced loudly.

Everyone stopped to look at him. "Really, Kakkarot?" muttered Vegeta. "Well, if you are entering, I will too. I'll defeat you in front of millions."

Piccolo looked interested. There would now be decent competition at the tournament. "Then I think I'll go, if you two are."

Pikkon readily agreed.

Now everyone turned to look at Gohan, who had been busy dancing with Videl. He stared back at all of them. "What?"
    
    "We're waiting for you to say you're going to enter, brat!" snapped Vegeta.

" . . . but I'm not."

They all stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.

Chichi, however, supported Gohan's decision not to fight. "If that's what you want, Gohan. Don't force him to enter if he doesn't want to."

Vegeta snorted and grumbled, "He's just afraid he'll get his ass kicked."

Chichi gasped. "WHAT?! Gohan could beat you any day!" She went up to him, glaring full force the whole time.

"Right! I'd like to see the nerd try!"
    
    "Gohan is not a nerd, you . . . you big foreheaded jerk!"
    Videl laughed and Gohan sighed. "Honestly . . ."

"KAKKAROT, CALL OFF YOUR HOUND!!!"

Chichi saw red. He was going to get it now . . . "What did you call me?!"

Author's Note: Mirai Trunks DOES have a VITAL purpose here, which you'll see in a little. If you honestly CAN'T wait to know, I'll tell you **IF YOU E-MAIL ME**. Yes, this is just another tactic to fill my mailbox. J 

[1] In that one DBZ episode, Goten was sleeping with Gohan. Was that because they didn't have enough rooms for each boy to have their own, or were they having a 'sleepover'? Oh, yeah, in this fic, they had an indoor bathroom installed too. J 

[2] Yes, I'm quite aware that Mirai Trunks wouldn't have gone home, and that the androids would still be reeking havoc in his time. This will be addressed later.

****

ADVERTISING: Have you ever read a story that you fall in love with instantly? Well, I've found two, and both are Harry Potter Harry/Snape fics. The first is called 'Something to Live For' by Accio Snape. The next is 'Fine Lines' by Shadowphoenix. 

__

Next Chapter: It seems that Mirai Trunks is stirring up some trouble between Gohan and Videl. Mirai and Videl are getting close . . . or is something ELSE going on? Yes, I know I'm evil!! AND . . . as the Tenkaichi Budokai grows near, will Gohan be physically and mentally prepared to face their greatest adversary yet? 


	24. II Jealousy Anger Determination

Author's Note:** EVIL CHAPTER AHEAD!!!! **Don't say I didn't warn ya. * Wink * 

I don't own DBZ, but I do own all of the wonderful reviews I've received. Wait, I do, don't I?

Oh, I haven't proof read this. My wrist hurts and I've got a paper to do. Sorry in advance for any mistakes.

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Twenty Four *~*

Jealousy + Anger = Determination

The next morning, M.Trunks was sipping on a glass of nice, cold orange juice when his mother told him her plan. He immediately choked on his drink and set the glass down on the kitchen counter hard. "You want me to WHAT?!"

"Please?! Both Chichi and I think it's a good idea! Those two will never get together if one of them doesn't do something!"

"I'm not getting into this. Gohan's a big boy-"

"Who's shy and unsure about himself! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE?!!!!!" begged Bulma. "You're the only one who can do it."

M. Trunks gave his mother a stern look. "What do you mean?"

"You're Gohan's competition! You're about their age, you're a strong fighter, you're good looking . . . Gohan would easily get jealous over you."

"I don't want to hurt Gohan's feelings . . ."

"It'll be okay!"

"And Videl's . . . I'll be using her, sort of."

Bulma sighed. "Look, Chichi and I are sure that Gohan will tell Videl how he feels if she starts dating someone else! It makes sense."

"What if Videl doesn't want to go out with me?"

Bulma grinned. "That girl can be evil sometimes. I'm sure she'll see it as a perfect way to catch Gohan's attention. PLEASE?!!!!"

"OKAY, OKAY!! I'll do it! But if things get too serious or out of control, I'm out."

*~*

Videl was up bright and early the next morning, anxious to start her training again. She wanted to learn how to fly, now that she was pretty good with the ki blasts.

But Gohan was sleeping in late again, so she went out to warm up and do some work on her own. She sat on the cool, damp grass and began to stretch. When she bent forward, the chain holding Gohan's birthday present swung from under her shirt. Videl smiled, remembering what had happened the night before.

*~* Flashback *~*

__

Videl climbed into Gohan's bed and sighed. She shot a glance at Gohan, who was standing just next to the bed, looking down at her with his palms cupped over something. He looked down at her nervously.

"What is it, Gohan?" asked Videl.

He held his hand out and placed a black square box in her hand. "Happy birthday."

She stared down at it. "You didn't have to . . . after you planned that party . . ."

"Just open it."

She took the lid off of the box and stared down at a . . . rock. More like a rock attached to a silver chain. Well . . . she hadn't been expecting THIS. "What . . . is it?"

"Chalcedony. I know it looks like your average rock, but turn it over."

Videl took it out of the box and flipped the stone over. "Wow . . ."

Now it was a VERY pretty rock. It was gray with pale blue swirls in it with the swirls taking the shape of a rose. There seemed to be sparkles in it, because when she tilted it into the moonlight, it glistened. She gasped. "It's beautiful!"

Gohan took it from her and placed it around her neck. "It's said to have magic powers of a sort. If you're ever in danger, or you're feeling lonely or something, squeeze it HARD and think of me. I'll be able to locate you and find you."

So romantic . . . Videl gave Gohan a hug, taking him by surprise. "Thank you, Gohan. I love it."

*~* End Flashback *~*

Videl had never received a gift like Gohan's. I was original and she could tell that he had put a lot of thought into it. _I wonder if it works . . . maybe only when I'm in trouble or something. _She reached up to touch the warm stone and smiled.

"Are you just going to sit there all morning, or are you going to train?"

Videl turned around. "Trunks! What are you doing here?"

M. Trunks walked up to her and sat on the grass. He gave her a charming smile. "My mom was telling me that you were doing some training and I thought I'd stop by to see how it'd going."

Videl glanced back at the house. "I was working with Gohan . . . but he's still asleep. How about we spar?"
    
    "Sounds good."
    They stood up and took their stances. M. Trunks wasn't sure just how strong Videl was, so he decided to take it slow. She moved first and caught him off guard, hitting him in the face. He stumbled back and stared at her in surprise.

She was fast! And she hit pretty hard. He hadn't expected this. "Not bad . . . I underestimated you."

Videl looked smug. "Well, now you know."

M. Trunks attacked this time and Videl blocked. He was going so fast that Videl could only block. She growled slightly and ducked his next punch. She placed a hand on his chest and shot a ki blast.

He flew backwards and hit the ground.

Videl ran up to him, very worried. "I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?!"

M. Trunks sat up and stared at his charred gi. He laughed. "I see Gohan's taught you well! I hadn't expected ki blasts."

Videl pulled him to his feet. "Come on, let's get back to work."

*~*

Gohan's eyes fluttered open. He sat up, yawned and stretched. When he turned to see if Videl was still asleep, he was a little surprised to find his bed neatly made up. Gohan got up, grabbed some clothes and quickly dressed. He went into the kitchen and opened the fridge, sticking his head in to look for something quick to munch on.

Suddenly the ground shook, startling Gohan. He pulled his head up quickly, hitting it on the fridge. He removed his head and ran outside.

He gapped at the sight before him. M. Trunks was leaning over Videl, waving a hand in front of her face. Her clothes were torn a bit, and there was dirt all over her face. Trunks, however, looked just fine. _What is he DOING here?! What happened to Videl?!_

"What's going on?!" he exclaimed, running up to them.

Trunks flushed a bit. "We were sparing . . . I think my ki blast was a little to strong for her."

Gohan immediately began to freak. He shook Videl hard. "Wake up! Videl!!!!"

She opened one eye and said, "I'm fine. Just stop shaking me!"

"Sorry."

Videl climbed to her feet and worked her muscles. She smiled at the panicked look on Trunks' face. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure? I mean . . ."

"I'm okay!"

Gohan, however, was very angry. He turned to M. Trunks. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Both Videl and Trunks were shocked at Gohan's choice of language. It just wasn't like him to swear.

"You could've hurt her! She could've been killed!!"

Before Gohan could advance on Trunks, she stepped in between to two boys. "Calm down, Gohan! Like I said, I'm FINE!!"

Trunks grinned. "I don't think you're mad about that, Gohan. I think you're just jealous because I was training with Videl."

She turned to glare at the lavender haired boy. "Don't entice him," she hissed. He just kept grinning.

"I am not jealous! There's nothing to be jealous about!" Gohan protested.

"Is that right?"
    
    Gohan took another step forward. "Yeah, that's right! I could take you any day and you know it."

"I've heard that you haven't been training for seven years, Gohan. I bet you're weak."

Gohan was jus about to leap forward when Videl punched Gohan in the stomach. He wheezed and fell over, clutching his belly. "Videl . . . no more!" he whined. He'd been punched TWICE the day before and once today. Gohan was afraid that a bruise would start to form.

"If you weren't acting like such a jerk all the time, then I wouldn't!"

M. Trunks was busy laughing his head off. Videl turned to him and gave him the same treatment. He, too, collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. "And I told YOU not to entice him!"

She walked back to the house, then stopped. Videl turned around and grinned at the two boys. "You know, Gohan, I don't think I need a frying pan. My fist will do just fine."

*~*

M. Trunks couldn't help but laugh again as Videl stomped away. She WAS evil! "Nice arm she's got," he grumbled, sitting up.

Gohan, who was already on his feet, glared at him. "What are you up to?"

"What makes you think I'm up to something?"

He didn't answer, but went into the house after Videl. Trunks got up and brushed the grass off of him. _Mom was right. Gohan IS in love with her, and he IS jealous! This will be easier than I thought!_

Trunks went into the house and got a huge smile from Chichi who was making breakfast. "Good morning, Trunks. You're here early!"

"Morning. I just wanted to see how Videl's training was coming along," he replied.

Chichi winked at him and he smiled back. "Breakfast will be ready in a little while. I think everyone is out front."

"Thanks." Trunks walked through the house and went out the front door where Videl and Gohan were watching Goten and Goku spar. He joined them. Gohan ignored the other boy, but Videl turned to him and said, "Look at Goten go! Isn't he great!"

"Yeah, but I'm sure mini-me will be able to defeat him in the Tenkaichi Budokai," Trunks said confidently.

Gohan chose to ignore his remark.

"Why do you say that?" asked Videl.

"Well, Chibi Trunks IS a year older than Goten, and he's had Vegeta AND the Gravity Room to work with. You could call it an unfair advantage, if you want."

Gohan was staring up at the sky when something silver caught his eye. He raised a hand to his forehead to shield the sun from his face. _No way . . . that looks like a hover car. But what's a car doing all the way out here? _As it got closer, Gohan groaned. He saw a familiar face sticking out of one of the windows. Erasa.

Which meant that Sharpner was probably driving.

"Videl, Sharpner and Erasa are here," he grumbled, pointing to the sky.

Videl squinted, but didn't see a thing. "Huh?"

The hover car came closer, attracting the attention of Goku and Goten. They stopped in mid-spar and looked at the sky too.

"Having friends over, Gohan?" asked Goku curiously.

__

Why ME? Why NOW?!! How am I going to keep those two from finding out all of my secrets!! Gohan was freaking out. _What am I going to do?!!_

The car landed and Erasa eagerly hopped out. Sharpner got out of the other side and glared at all of the men surrounding Videl. _Surely she's not living with all of these GUYS. Why would Hercule let her move here?_

Erasa was just as surprised as Sharpner. _Boy, Videl's lucky! Look at all the cute guys!! _"Um, hi Videl."

"Erasa . . . Sharpner," Videl said uneasily.

They all stared at each other for a while until Goku exclaimed excitedly, "Don't just stand there, Gohan! Invite them inside!"
    
    Gohan jumped slightly. "Er . . . right, Dad. Come on in guys."

Erasa gapped at Gohan's father as they went into his house. He was HOT! And he looked really young. The little boy who was practically clinging to the man's leg looked EXACTLY like him. And then there was the lavender haired boy who looked a lot like Bulma Brief's little son. He was hot too. _I'd switch places with Videl any day . . ._

Chichi came out of the kitchen and glanced at the two newcomers. "Who's this, Gohan?"

"Mom, this is Erasa, and this is Sharpner. Guys, this is my mom," he gestured to Chichi, "my dad, my little brother Goten and my . . . friend Trunks."

Erasa happily shook hands with them all, especially Trunks. Sharpner just nodded at them. Chichi pulled Goku and Goten into the kitchen to leave the teens alone.

Erasa wanted to show Videl her new car and took her outside, leaving the three boys alone in the living room.
    
    "What a surprise, Sharpner! What are you two doing here?" Gohan asked nervously. "And how did you know she was here?"

"We came to give Videl her birthday presents. We asked her father where she was." Sharpner eyed Gohan and Trunks suspiciously. "With all of these people living here, where does she sleep?"

Gohan blushed. "Ahh . . ."

"Oh, I don't live here! I'm just visiting," Trunks said quickly. "But where DOES she sleep, Gohan?"

He glared at the other Saiyan. "Does it matter?"

"Just because I haven't seen Videl in a while doesn't mean that I've given up on her. She's still going to be my girlfriend," Sharpner announced with total confidence.

Gohan just snickered, knowing that Sharpner was no competition.

__

That's my cue, I think. Mirai Trunks cleared his throat. "So you're saying that Videl's free?"

Both boys just glared at him, then nodded slowly.

M. Trunks grinned. "Good, cuz I was planing to ask her out later."

**__**

"WHAT?!!"

*~*

Meanwhile, Erasa and Videl were sitting inside of Erasa's new car. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Videl?"

"Yeah. I'm really sorry about that. I've been really busy and so much has been going on . . ."

Erasa nodded. "I heard you were in the hospital a few days ago. What happened?"

"I caught some nasty virus, but I'm all better now."

"That's good. You know, Videl, you're so lucky . . ."

Videl looked confused. "Why do you say that?"

"You LIVE with all of those hunks?! Gohan, that guy with the purple hair AND Gohan's father, who, I shamelessly admit, is totally hot too!" she squealed. Videl laughed.

"Yeah, it's been an . . . adventure . . ."
    
    "I wonder if Trunks has a girlfriend . . . Anyway, we came here to wish you happy birthday. Well, BELATED birthday." Erasa pulled three gifts from the back seat of her car. "One is from me, the other is from Sharp, and the last is from your dad."

__

Dad . . . I haven't spoken to him in while. I'll call later. "Thanks. Let's take them inside."

When they got inside, they saw both Sharpner and Gohan glaring furiously at Trunks, who looked a little scared.

Videl raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem here?"

Sharpner was about to say something when Trunks quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. The blond boy began to squirm, but couldn't break his grip. "Nothing's wrong, Videl. We're just having a friendly chat. Isn't that right, Gohan?"

"Whatever you say . . ." Gohan muttered dejectedly.

Erasa slid up to Trunks and eyed him. "Wow, you have even more muscles than GOHAN! Do you have a girlfriend?"

Trunks turned bright red. "I . . . well . . . er . . . um . . ."

Gohan snickered. "He's just visiting, so I'm afraid he won't be in the area for too long."

"That's too bad . . ." She turned to Videl. "Where do you want me to put these gifts?"

Videl led Erasa down the hallway and into Gohan's room and told her to put them on the bed.

Erasa looked around. "This is where you sleep? What's the cot for?"

"Ah . . . this is Gohan's room. I sleep on the bed, and he sleeps on the cot."

Her friend winked at her knowingly. "I bet he hasn't used the cot since you got here, right?"

"ERASA!! Really!"

They went back to the living room where the boys were seated on the couch, watching tv. Well, Sharpner was watching tv. Gohan was too busy glaring at Trunks as the lavender haired boy tried to ignore him.
    
    Erasa noticed the VCR on top of the tv and pulled out a tape from her purse. "It's movie time!" she announced happily. She popped it into the VCR and pushed start. Erasa then wedged herself into the spot between Sharpner and Trunks, leaving Videl to take the empty area between Trunks and Gohan. Naturally, Sharpner didn't like the fact that he wasn't sitting near Videl one bit, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.

"What IS this, Erasa?" asked Videl.

"You'll see," she chuckled.

**__**

Brought to you by Waves and Rocks . . . appeared on the screen. Then came the title of the movie. **_The Kidnapping of Satan Videl. _**[A/N: From here till I say so, double spaces between paragraphs indicate the switch between the movie and 'real' life.]

"WHAT IN THE WORLD?! ERASA!!!" shrieked Videl, nearly jumping up off of the couch. Gohan chuckled under his breath, then immediately stopped when she glared at him.

"I've never seen it before," said Erasa, "so I don't know what they're going to show."

Videl sat back in the couch. Trunks began to watch with interest. If Videl was acting this way to the film, it must be worth watching.

The first scene opened up with 'Hercule' sitting in his study with his hands folded on the table before him. Then came his thoughts. _These threats on my dear daughter's life are becoming more and more serious. I'm afraid it's time for drastic measures . . ._ 'Hercule' pushed a button on the intercom on his desk. "Could you send Videl and Gohan straight up?" he asked his secretary.

"Right away, sir."

Gohan groaned. HE was going to be in this movie? "Erasa . . . turn it off!! Please!!"

Trunks laughed evilly. "Keep it on! I want to see this."

Erasa let it play.
    
    Videl and Gohan entered Hercule's study. They'd managed to find a pretty good Videl look-alike, but the person playing Gohan was ALL wrong.

"WHY AM I FAT?!" moaned Gohan. Sharpner laughed his head off, pointing to the screen. Videl snickered. Trunks clamped a hand over his mouth to stop from laughing.

"You're not . . . fat, Gohan," Erasa said supportively. "You're just chubby."

"I AM NOT CHUBBY IN REAL LIFE!! Don't tell me that that guy is NOT fat! His _stomach_ is _hanging over_ his pants! Or my pants! Whatever!" whined Gohan.

"What is it, papa?" asked Videl sweetly, giving Hercule a kiss on the forehead.

He sighed dramatically. "It pains me to do this, Videl, but your friend Gohan is going to have to leave."

Videl gasped just as dramatically, her hand flying up to her chest. "But PAPA, I-"

"With all that's going on, he has to leave. Your friend Angela was killed and someone's after YOU. I'm doing what's best."

Videl turned to Gohan. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Gohan just scratched his gut, blinked several times, then turned around and left the study without saying a word, leaving Videl to rush into her father's arms and cry.

"IT DIDN'T HAPPEN THAT WAY!!!!!" Gohan exclaimed. "I'm not a big fat lazy jerk! I put up a fight! I didn't even have any **_lines_**! I-"

"Chill, Gohan!" Videl snapped. But she didn't like the way they made her all sweet and nice. And she HADN'T ran to her father and CRIED. _Where do they GET this stuff? _"I'm going to get some popcorn," announced Videl.

"No, let me do it," said Trunks.
    
    Gohan glared at him. "You're the guest, Trunks," he said as nicely as he could. "I'LL go get it, Videl."

Sharpner realized what they were doing. "No, I can go get it!"

"You don't know where anything is," pointed out Trunks.

"Neither do you," Gohan snapped. "This is MY house, you ALL are guests, so I-"

Videl got up off of the couch. "I have LEGS, if you haven't noticed!"

__

Oh, I've noticed . . . Gohan immediately flushed. Well how could he have NOT noticed? She wore shorts all of the time . . .

Videl stomped into the kitchen and prepared two bowls of popcorn.

While she did that, Trunks had an idea. He slid closer to Gohan, so that the only empty area was between him and the couch's arm. Gohan noticed and glared heatedly at M. Trunks, who pretended not to notice.

When Videl came back, she hesitated slightly and sat next to Trunks. She placed a bowl of popcorn in his lap, then handed another to Gohan for him to share with Erasa and Sharpner.

"You missed the part when you took Gohan home, Videl," Erasa said.

__

This is soooooo stupid! It happened to ME, so I should know what happened!!!!

Videl went back up to her room and hesitated when she realized that the lights were off. She flicked them on. She screamed theatrically when she saw the housemaid lying on the floor and passed out. The actor playing Vile stepped out of the closet, scooted Videl up and went to the balcony.

He jumped off and flew away.

"I didn't FAINT," Videl mumbled. "And did you see the strings on that guy's back?! This is ridiculous!"
    
    Sharpner stared at her. "Isn't that what those guys who SAY they can fly, like Saiyaman, actually use? String?"
    "NO!" Trunks, Gohan and Videl exclaimed at the same time. Both Saiyans were offended. They didn't use STRING to get around.

Just then, Goku wandered into the room and grinned. "Ohhhh, a MOVIE! I haven't seen one in a LONG time! Can I watch?!"

Gohan didn't want his dad to see _The Kidnapping of Videl. _After all, they'd made him look stupid, and they would probably do the same to Saiyaman. Before he could say anything, Erasa giggled and invited him over. Goku happily sat on the floor and watched with wide eyes, like a kid staring into a candy shop.

The words 'two days later' appeared on the tv and next scene opened with Saiyaman 'flying' through the air, with strings clearly attached to his back. Saiyaman reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of Videl. _Hold on, my love. I'm coming. _He kissed the photo and stuck it back into his pocket.

Gohan gapped at the screen, turning a bit red. _What?! Saiyaman is NOT in love with Videl! And I don't even HAVE any pockets!!!_

Videl was also red. "I AM NOT in love with Saiyaman! And where exactly did he get a picture of ME? They're making stuff up!"

Goku, however, wasn't complaining. "SHHHHH!!!! I can't hear!"

Saiyaman 'landed' outside of a cave blocked by a huge bolder. He lifted his palm. The camera showed Saiyaman step on a red button and the rock blew up into tiny pieces.

"Ohhhhh, special effects!" Goku exclaimed.

Gohan sighed and shook his head.

Saiyaman jumped into the cave and into one of his poses. "I am the defender of love . . . and justice . . . and all that is GOOD!!! I am . . ." He pointed to the bad guy. " . . . your worst nightmare! Don't mess with me! I am . . . the **GREAT SAIYAMAN**!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

* Cheesy music plays *

"Oh, Saiyaman," cooed Videl seductively from the ground where she lay with her hands tied behind her back. "I knew you'd come for me."

"I. Will. Defeat. You!" cried the bad guy in choppy sentences. "Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha!"

"No, you will not!" Saiyaman attacked very slowly, punching the man in the face.

"Argh!" cried the man, throwing himself back as Saiyaman's fist neared his face. "You. Will. Pay!!"

There was more fake fighting, then Saiyaman raised his hand again and stepped on another red button. Then the bad guy froze and was suddenly replaced by a dummy look-alike. The doll exploded and the bad guy screamed somewhere off screen.

Goku was clapping enthusiastically. "Good job, Saiyaman!!"

Gohan groaned and placed his head in his hands, muttering, "Someone kill me," over and over again.

Videl rolled her eyes. "How much more FAKE can this get? Buttons, string, dummies . . . I should sue!!"

Saiyaman scooped Videl up into his arms. "Videl . . . you're okay."

"Yes, I am. All because of YOU Saiyaman."

As they flew off into the setting sun, they kissed.

****

THE END.

"That was great!" Goku exclaimed. Erasa agreed with him, while Sharpner muttered something about why HE wasn't in the movie, but Gohan was.

All Videl could say was, "Erasa, burn it."

*~*

Sharpner and Erasa left a little while later, much to Gohan's relief. It hadn't been as bad as he thought it would've been. Erasa was crazy about his dad and Goku seemed to feel the same about the blond girl. _They're both a bit ditzy, I guess . . ._

Once they were gone, Gohan turned to Videl and said, "Are you ready to learn how to fly?"

She nodded eagerly.

Gohan turned to Trunks. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Aren't you going to LEAVE?"

"No. I'd like to watch, maybe help."

Videl glanced at Gohan, who was normally friendly to most people. "What's your problem, Gohan?"

"Nothing. I mean, he just got here, so I thought he'd like to be with his family . . ."

"Nah, that's okay. I'm having a great time here," Trunks said too sweetly.

Vide knew something was up. They went around back and began their lesson with Trunks watching carefully.

[A/N: We're gonna skip the flying part, since I'm pretty sure we all saw the episode, okay?]

Gohan kept working with Videl until the sun began to set and he got hungry. He glanced briefly at Trunks, who'd been sitting in the same spot for the past couple of hours watching Videl. _What is he still DOING HERE?!! I thought he would've left hours ago . . ._

Videl, who'd mastered hovering in the air a few feet above the ground, landed in front of Gohan. "I'm hungry! Let's go in a and eat, okay?"

"Sure thing."

They went into the house and Trunks followed them. M. Trunks glanced down at his watch and placed a hand on Videl's arm, stopping her right outside the back door. "Can I talk to you for a second, Videl?"

"Okay."

Trunks looked at Gohan, who stared back. "I mean, alone."

Gohan reluctantly left them alone, going into the house and closing the door behind him, but leaving a little crack. Goku, Goten and Chichi were already in the kitchen about to eat dinner. They all stared at Gohan as he leaned slightly against the door, trying to hear what was going on outside.

"Gohan," began his mother.

"Shhh!" Gohan hissed.

"I want to ask you something," Trunks was saying.

"Okay. Shoot."

"Uh . . . are you free tonight?"

"Yes . . . why?"

"Would you like to go out with me?"

Gohan stuffed a fist in his mouth to keep himself from crying out in alarm. _He was SERIOUS?!! NO, Videl say NO!!!!!!!_

Goten giggled and whispered to his father, "Gohan's trying to kill himself again!"

" . . ." came from Videl.

Gohan was panicking. Videl was taking WAY too long to answer, meaning that she was thinking about it. _Shoot, Videl, say NO and I'LL ask you out!! PLEASE!!!!!_

"Okay, sounds like fun," Videl replied.

Gohan's heart broke. She'd said yes. He stepped away from the door and stared down at the floor. Tears were flooding his eyes, and he let them come. Chichi frowned.

"Gohan's what's wrong?"

"V-V-Videl's going out on a date with Trunks," he replied softly. "I . . . I'm not hungry, Mom. I'm going to lay down, okay?"

Gohan walked back to his room, moving as slow as molasses. When he finally arrived in his room, he flopped down on the cot, buried his head in his pillow, and began to cry.

*~*

"We're not having dinner here," Trunks said as they came into the kitchen. "I'm taking Videl out to dinner."

Chichi gave them a hesitant smile. "Okay. Have fun."

Videl told M. Trunks that she was going to change clothes and freshen up a bit. She went back to Gohan's room, hesitating slightly when she heard soft whimpering.

She entered the room. "Gohan?"

"Y-yes?"

His voice was very soft and child like. Something was wrong. "Ah . . . I'm going to change," she said. "I'm . . . going out for dinner with Trunks."

* Sniffle * "Okay. Have fun."

Videl squinted in the dark, trying to see if Gohan was crying or not. She couldn't see a thing, and gathered some clothes, then left the room, giving Gohan one last glance.

*~*

__

Mirai Trunks is very nice . . . but I can't do this to him. This just isn't right! Videl glanced up at Trunks over her ice cream cone as they walked down the sidewalk in silence. They'd had a wonderful conversation at the restaurant- Trunks was very funny and smart.

But, as she walked next to him, she admitted to herself what was REALLY going on here. She was just using this nice young man to make Gohan jealous, hoping that in turn, he'd develop some feelings for her or something.

Videl sighed and grabbed Trunks' arm, stopping him on the sidewalk. "I've got to tell you something, Trunks . . ."

"What is it?"

"I'm using you."

He looked a bit surprised. "What?"

"I'm using you to make Gohan jealous. I'm so sorry if I'm leading you on or something."
    
    Trunks laughed. "I've got to confess something, too. All of this was my mother's idea. Me coming over to visit you and all. She thought that I could make Gohan jealous so that he'd ask you out or whatever."

"Well, isn't this a surprise!" she laughed. "Say, you wouldn't mind . . . keeping it up? I mean, we could pretend like we're dating to make Gohan jealous."

Trunks grinned. "Sure! This is sort of fun!"

Videl elbowed him in the ribs. "You're evil."

"It's all Vegeta's fault!"

*~*

Gohan was still awake, lying in the exact same position he had been before, when Videl came back into the room. He pretended to be asleep as she undressed on the other side of the room and slipped into some nightclothes.

"Gohan? Are you awake?" she asked softly.

He didn't answer and kept still.

"Well . . ." _Damn him! I bet he's awake. _"Trunks and I had a wonderful time. We're going out again. Goodnight."

Gohan wanted to cry, but he'd stopped that a while ago. Now he was seething with anger. How dare Trunks, who he'd THOUGHT was his friend, suddenly appear and take his girl?! It wasn't right, Videl was HIS. He wanted to HURT Trunks . . . His anger began to bubble.

__

What are you going to do about it, Gohan? Crying or moping won't solve your problem! You have to be STRONG . . . That's the only way to get her back!

Gohan had an idea. He was going to work hard, train hard. He was going to enter the Tenkaichi Budokai. He was going to BEAT Trunks in front of Videl, in front of millions of people around the world.

He was going to win that Championship Belt . . . and Videl's heart.

Author's Note: Oh, no! Gohan gets tough! Watch out Trunks, Gohan's after you! Hey, people, don't kill me for this, okay? I luv you all . . .

****

ADVERTISING: Here are some stories that people have asked me to put here.

'The Wacky Story of Gohan and Videl' by Drama-Princess87 'Chimera' by JZero. __

Next Chapter: Weeks pass, and the Tenkaichi Budokai is only one day away. M. Trunks and Videl have been 'dating' the whole time, and Gohan's separated himself from Videl, training 24/7 and hasn't protested one bit about the whole dating thing. She's confused, Chichi and Bulma are confused, EVERYONE is confused! AND . . . the Tenkaichi Budokai gets underway- the elimination round, the line up, and the appearance of a few mysterious people! 

__


	25. II The 25th Tenkaichi Budokai

Author's Note: Slightly evil chapter ahead. Boring, too, nothing too exciting. 

I don't own DBZ, just this idea and the people I made up.

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Twenty Five *~*

The 25th Tenkaichi Budokai

Goku woke to the sound of someone walking down the hallway. He sat up in bed and stared out into the darkness. _Who in the world would be up this early in the morning? _He got out of bed, careful not to wake his wife, and stepped out into the hall.

He walked into the kitchen and looked around. Goku wandered over to a window and gazed outside. It was about three in the morning, and it was still very dark out. The tiny stars in the sky provided the only light.

Goku squinted to get a better look into the darkness. Was someone out there? _Looks like . . . Gohan?! What is he doing out there?_

Gohan cupped his hands before him and summoned his ki. A ball of yellow-orange energy the size of a basketball appeared in his hands. He bounced it around in his hands, then let go of it.

Goku gasped as it shattered into millions of teeny, TINY balls of light. They scattered around Gohan, then regrouped in smaller balls. These bits of energy floated around Gohan in a circle, then spread out further to make a wider one, lighting the area around Gohan.

It was one of the flashiest uses of ki Goku had every seen, and he'd seen a lot in his time. He watched as the balls stayed in place, hovering several inches off of the ground. Gohan sat on the grass and closed his eyes.

__

He's meditating . . . does this mean he's going to enter the tournament?

Goku watched a bit longer, then yawned. Gohan was just sitting there. Nothing exciting was going on, so Goku decided to go back to bed.

When he woke up again, this time at nine in the morning, then first thing he did was to go into the kitchen. He glanced out of the same window he'd looked out earlier. Gohan was STILL there, in the same position, except his lights were gone.

__

Look at him . . . He's totally focused! I bet if Goten went out there making a bunch of noise, he wouldn't even notice!

"What are you looking at, Goku?"

He turned around and smiled at Videl. He waved her over to the window and pointed out. "Look at Gohan! Isn't he something else?!"

Videl stared at Gohan's stiff form. "What's . . . what's wrong with him?"

"What's wrong with him?! He's meditating! I bet he's decided to enter the Tenkaichi!" Goku said excitedly.

Videl was still worried about what had happened last night. She was SURE that he had been crying, but he looked fine now. _Maybe you were just hearing things._

"And get this- he's been out there since three in the morning!! He reminds me of Piccolo!"

"Hmm . . . I bet he'll come in for some food," she muttered.

Chichi walked into the kitchen and peeked out of the window for a second to see what they were staring at before moving to the stove. "What's up with Gohan?"

"He's meditating!" Goku announced happily. "He's going to enter the Tenkaichi, I KNOW it! Why else would he have woken up at three in the morning?"

"My poor baby's been out there for hours?" Chichi cooed. "Well, I bet he's hungry. I'll get right to work on breakfast."

Goku stayed by the window, watching his son happily while Videl sat at the kitchen table and thought. _Why would Gohan want to enter the tournament all of a sudden when he didn't want to just yesterday? Something must've happened._

The phone rang. Seeing that Chichi was busy at the stove and that Goku wasn't going to move from his spot at the window, Videl picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Videl, good morning!"

"Trunks! Hey, what's up?"

"Not much. How'd . . . Gohan take the news?"

"Surprisingly well. TOO well, if you ask me."

"Hmm . . . I'm positively sure that he's jealous! We should keep it up for a while longer, okay?"

"Sure! Are you coming over later?"

"If you want me to. I'll be over in about two hours, okay?"

"That's fine. See you then." Videl hung up the phone and turned around, coming face to face with Gohan. His face was blank and so were his eyes, but she could tell that something was bothering him. "Um, morning, Gohan."

"Is Trunks coming over?"

**__**

Morning to you too, Videl! How are you this fine morning? Why I'm just fine, Gohan. What about you? **I'm feeling great myself.** **Thanks for asking! **Videl raised her chin and stared at him. "Yes."

He didn't say anything else to her and sat at the kitchen table. "Morning Mom, Dad."

Chichi, who'd noticed the frigid exchange between her son and Gohan, smiled hesitantly. "Good morning, Gohan. I hear you were up bright and early!"

Videl sat at the table, not sitting next to him. She glared at him as he continued to ignore her.

"I was. I wanted to get started on my training very early."

Goku sat next to his son and grinned. "So you're gonna enter the Tenkaichi, aren't you?"

Gohan turned to stare directly into Videl's eyes. His black eyes flashed for a moment, then went blank. "Yes, I am," he said simply. He kept his gaze on Videl for a second longer, then turned away.

Chichi placed a plate in front of Gohan. Goku looked hurt that he hadn't received a plate. "Aw, Chichi, where's MINE?" he whined.

"Don't be greedy. It's coming. I'm giving Gohan his first because he has training to do!"

Goku still looked hurt and poked out his bottom lip.

Videl watched as Gohan ate slowly, staring at a spot on the wall. He'd never acted this way toward her before, and she was shocked. What now? "Um, Gohan . . . are you still going to help me with my flying?"

He didn't even look up at her. "Why don't you get your new boyfriend, Trunks, to help you? I'm sure he'd be more than happy to."

__

In other words, he doesn't want to be near you. "Fine, maybe I will!"

"Fine!" Gohan got up out of his chair and stalked back outside, slamming the door behind him.

Goku looked confused. "Did I miss something?"

Videl glared at the closed door. _Fine, if he wants to play that way . . ._

*~* Three Weeks Later *~*
    
    "This is getting way out of hand," muttered Chichi as she watched Videl and Trunks walk out into the backyard of CC where Gohan was busy working by himself. "He hasn't done anything but train all day for the past three weeks!"

Vegeta snorted. "And that's a bad thing?"

Chichi ignored him. "We've got to call this off, Bulma. It's a disaster! Videl and Trunks have gotten into the habit of KISSING in front of Gohan! The first time they did that, he got so angry that he powered up in the middle of the living room!"

"Well, he had a reaction!" protested Bulma. "Isn't that good?"

"WAIT A MINUTE!! MY BRAT'S BEEN KISSING **THAT THING**?!!!" demanded Vegeta angrily. That female was not worthy of a Saiyan prince!

"Videl assures me that they only did it once, to see what Gohan would do," Chichi said quickly. "They promised not to do it again. But that's not all! Gohan's gotten so serious and he hasn't said a word to Videl in weeks. He gives Trunks these evil death glares, and I even caught him reaching for Trunks' neck when he wasn't looking! I'm afraid he'll try to kill him!"

Vegeta just laughed. "Like he could if he tried!"

"Shut up! This isn't funny. I'm really worried about Gohan- this isn't like him at all," Chichi said.

Bulma sighed. She knew that Chichi would go on and on about this until something was done. "Okay, I'll go out and talk to him. He used to be able to confide in me . . ." Bulma went outside, leaving Chichi to annoy the hell out of Vegeta.

She walked right pass Videl and M. Trunks as they sat together watching Goku spar with both Goten and Chibi Trunks at the same time and up to Gohan. "Hi, Gohan," she said cheerfully.

He stopped in mid-punch and smiled hesitantly at her. "Hey, Bulma. What's up?"

"Nothing . . . I noticed that you were working very hard."

"Yeah . . . you could say I'm on am mission."

Bulma raised on eyebrow. "A mission? What do you mean?"

Gohan glanced over at Trunks and Videl, who were busy rooting on Goten and Chibi Trunks. _I forgot . . . she's his mother. _"Nothing. Forget I said anything."

"No you don't Gohan! Your mother is worried sick over you! She says you barely speak to anyone, you barely EAT, and that you're spending all of your time sparing or mediating! I demand an explanation!"

Gohan took a step back. "Calm down . . . you're acting like I'm about to kill myself or something!"

"That's what Chichi thinks, with the way you 'mope' around the house all day," muttered Bulma.

Gohan sighed and looked up at the sky. "I don't know if I can tell you what I'm feeling Bulma. After all, you are Trunks' mother."

"So you're worked up over M. Trunks and Videl."

"Of course! What else would I be so mad about?"

Bulma gave him a harsh glare. "Let me tell you something, Gohan, a girl isn't going to wait around all of her life in hopes that YOU will ask her out, no matter how much she may care about you! It may be hard for you to believe, but I bet Videl wants to have a family some day, just like all of the other teenaged girls on this planet!"

Gohan was startled by her outburst. "Bulma-"

"No, listen to me! You know that saying 'you snooze, you loose'? Well, you LOST! Giving her the could shoulder and ignoring her isn't going to make her love you or anything."

"Bulma-"

"You'll have to work hard to win her affections, Gohan! I-"

"BULMA!!! I know I screwed up royally okay?!" He ran a hand through his hair. "I should've told her how I felt sooner, but I never thought that some guy would come along and scoop her up. So much has been going on, and I thought that she could _tell_ that I love her . . ."

"Gohan . . ."

"I've been loosing sleep because of _her_. I'm starving myself half to death for _her_! I'm working my _ass _off for _her_!" Gohan exclaimed passionately.

Bulma didn't say anything. _If Videl could hear him now, she'd have no doubts that he loved her._

"I have to be strong for Videl, so that I can protect her. And I'll show her just how strong I am by defeat her _boyfriend _at the Tenkaichi Budokai tomorrow," Gohan sneered.

Bulma wanted to cry. It was just like one of those angst-y romance novels she loved to read. "Have you ever stopped to think, Gohan," said Bulma, "that she may not CARE if you're the strongest man in the world?"

"She may not care, but I do."

Bulma rolled her eyes. _It must be a Saiyan thing. _"Talk to Videl, Gohan. Tell her that you're in love with her! Please."

"I'm sorry, Bulma, but I have to go about this my own way."

"Okay, Gohan. I just hope you know what you're doing. Good luck."

Bulma walked back to the house and into the kitchen where Vegeta was shooting death glares at Chichi, who was bawling into her hands.

"Shut her up, woman!" Vegeta ordered, stalking out of the room to squeeze in some last minute training before the big tournament.

Bulma tried to sooth her friend by telling her what Gohan had said. This only made her cry more, because it was 'so romantic'. Bulma covered her ears with her hands to block out Chichi's crying. _I hope you know what you're doing, Gohan._

*~*

"I wonder what my mom was talking to Gohan about," muttered M. Trunks, keeping his eyes on Gohan. The other teen was currently staring at the ground, kicking at the dirt with his feet. They both had looked pretty angry until one point in their conversation.

Videl glanced over at Gohan too. "I don't know . . ." _But I'd do anything to get him to speak to me again. _Videl pulled out the chalcedony stone from her pocket and stared down at it. She'd stopped wearing it around her neck, but it was always with her, in her pocket or somewhere like that.

It hurt being near him, but not being _with _him, not even as friends. He didn't look at her, didn't speak to her, didn't smile or encourage her when she was training . . . it was like she didn't exist.

She couldn't go on like this anymore. Videl turned to Trunks. "I think . . . I think we should call this off after the tournament, Trunks, if that's alright with you. I don't like the way he ignores me, like he can't stand the sight of me."

"This has gotten out of control. We never expected Gohan to withdraw like this," M. Trunks said, a hint of worry in his voice. "We'll call it off. But, Videl, Gohan doesn't ignore you. I've seen him watching you when you're not looking."

Videl's spirits rose a tiny bit at that. _Was he? Really? _"I'll tell him what we were up tomorrow. I just hope that he can forgive me."

*~*

Later that night, Capsule Corp was crammed full of people. Bulma had invited everyone to come over to spend the night at her place the day before the tournament so that she could fly them all to the island in her newest, biggest jet. Naturally, they all readily agreed.

Now they were having a huge barbecue out back, with Chichi and Bulma doing most of the cooking. Gohan, however, took the time to relieve the two women of their work so that they could have some fun. He flipped burgers and checked on the steaks, watching Goten and Chibi Trunks chase each other around the picnic table.

Videl, as he expected, was hanging around M. Trunks. He tried to ignore them, but was unable to. She was laughing at something he'd said . . . Gohan couldn't help but stare at her beautiful, silky soft hair, her creamy white skin, those blue eyes . . . Gohan sighed heavily.

"Gohan . . . Gohan . . . HEY, GOHAN!!"

He jumped, looking around. "What? What?!"

Goku grinned at his eldest son. "The burgers are burning."

Gohan looked down at the grill. Several patties were on fire, and the others were charred. "Oh, man . . ."

Goku winked. "We'll give all the burnt ones to Master Roshi. He's so old, he probably won't be able to tell that they're charred beyond belief!"

Gohan chuckled weakly, scooping the burnt patties off of the grill and placing them onto a plate. His father whisked them away, calling, "HEY, MASTER ROSHI!!! THOSE BURGERS YOU WANTED ARE **DONE**!!" _As in well done . . ._

Krillin, seeing Gohan's trouble, pushed the boy away from the grill. "If we let you cook, we'll never have enough food to feed all of these people! Go on, get out of here!"

Gohan wandered away from the loud excitement of the group and around to the front of the house. He sat on the grass underneath a tree and leaned back against it.

__

Tomorrow's the big day, Gohan. Tomorrow you're gonna fight Trunks, you're going to win, and you're going to tell Videl that she can't go out with Trunks because you love her. Simple, huh?

Right . . .

Gohan sat there, lost in thought until he felt Goten's ki raise slightly. Anytime that happened, he was about to eat. Deciding that he was hungry, Gohan left his spot and rejoined the party. He looked for a seat at the table.

The only one left was next to Videl, at the end of the picnic table. His mother grinned at him supportively. _Great, they PLANNED this. _Gohan slid into the seat next to Videl. Everyone attacked the food before them, but Gohan waited until everyone else had gotten their food before reaching for some himself.

Out of the corner of her eye, Videl watched as Gohan nibbled on his food, not eating much of it. Chichi was eyeing Gohan carefully, practically straining her neck to get a good look at him.

Bulma, who sat across from him, kicked his leg underneath the table. "Eat something," she hissed, "Chichi's watching!"

Gohan gave her a nod and eat more. Chichi seemed satisfied with this, but Videl was not. She cleared her throat and turned to Gohan. "Are you ready for tomorrow, Gohan? You've been working very hard."

She expected him to ignore her, and was surprised when he said, "I'm ready to take the championship belt, if that's what you mean."

Unfortunately, Vegeta overheard his remark and snorted. "Hardly. You think that a few weeks of hard training can make up for seven years lost?"

Everyone at the table stopped eating except for Goten and Trunks, who didn't see what the problem was with Vegeta's comment. The only sounds were of the two little boys wolfing down their food as the whole table leaned forward to see the action.

Gohan stared blankly at Vegeta. "No, but I can try to regain some of what I had. It's worth a try."

Bulma slapped Vegeta on the back of the head and glared heatedly at him. He glared back and growled, "Woman . . ."

Videl let out a huge breath. She'd thought for a minute that Gohan was about to attack Vegeta with the way he'd been acting lately.

"Jeez, Vegeta!" Goku was crying with his mouth full of food. "You haven't seen him work- he's amazing. Total concentration, great form, he's quick and-"

"DAMN IT, KAKKAROT!!! YOU'RE SPITTING FOOD ALL OVER ME!!!" roared Vegeta, brushing something that looked like a piece of half-chewed hotdog from his arm, giving Goku a murderous look.

This got everyone talking again. Gohan finished his plate and reached for seconds, receiving a big smile from his mother.

Gohan shot a quick look at Videl. She was staring dully at the table before her. _Man, I miss her. I can't go on like this much longer . . . Tomorrow . . . wait until tomorrow . ._

*~* The Next Morning: 3:00 am *~*

"EVERYONE UP!!!!!"

****

* BANG*

"GET UP RIGHT NOW!!!!!!"

****

* BANG *

WE'VE GOT TO LEAVE FOR THE TOURNAMENT!!!!!!!"

****

* BANG *

"GET UP!!!!!!! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!!!!!!" Goku shouted loudly, banging a pot he'd grabbed from Bulma's kitchen with a wooden spoon as he ran throughout the house.

****

* BANG BANG BANG *

People warily emerged from their rooms, shooting glares at Goku. He just smiled back and continued his trip through the house. 

****

* BANG BANG *

On his way, Gohan, who was already awake, took the pot from his father's hand as he skipped by. "I think everyone's awake now, Dad."

Goku grinned at his son. "Are you ready to kick some butt?!"

Gohan laughed. "You know it!"

"Great! I'm gonna go talk to Bulma about breakfast . . ." Goku wandered off, leaving Gohan alone. He shook his head and went into the kitchen, putting back the items that his father stole, then went up to the room that Bulma let him spend the night in and grabbed his bag. He went outside, tossed his bag into the back of the huge jet Bulma reserved to take them all to the Tenkaichi and leaned against it.

Piccolo was also out there and went up to him. "Morning Gohan."

"Hey, Piccolo. Excited?"

He gave him a look. "Not like Goku, if that's what you're talking about."

Gohan just smiled.

"You've been working hard with your meditating," Piccolo observed, "along with everything else."

"I have."

"You were looking for that energy Pikkon spoke about, weren't you?"

Gohan nodded. "I'm still looking. I'm not sure how to go about finding it, though."

"Maybe you should stop _looking _for it, and let it come to you."

"What?"

"Just think. That energy you release when you fought Cell . . . it was there because you were mad, right?"

"_Mad_ isn't the word . . ."

"Yes, well, you were angry. That energy you used, I think, was the pure energy, Gohan. When you were younger, all of those brief moments of incredible strength was the pure energy surfacing."

Gohan eyed his former sensei. "You've been giving this a lot of though, haven't you Piccolo?"

"Anything to help, Gohan." The others began to gather around outside. "Anyway, take my advice and stop looking. You'll just stress yourself out."

"Right. Thanks Piccolo."

Bulma came out of the house, looking very much like a drill sergeant, and did a head count. Once she was satisfied that everyone was there, she blew on a shrill whistle. The chatter immediately stopped al but Goku's loud whine of, "OUCH! That hurt my ear!"

"Alright, people!" Bulma shouted. "We're about to leave, so let me give you the run through of our day." Chibi Trunks handed his mother a clipboard. "Okay, it'll take us quite a while to get to this island . . . about six hours."

The little kids and Goku groaned.

"We should arrive around nine forty five if we make a quick stop for breakfast at six."

"But I'm hungry NOW," Goku whined.

Bulma glared at Goku, then said to Chichi, "Shut him up, please! Anyway, registration opens at ten-fifteen, qualifying round is at ten-thirty, and the line up is determined at eleven-thirty, leaving lunch for noon to one. Now, to explain how the Tenkaichi will work . . . let's see . . . oh, the junior tournament, which will span from eleven-thirty to one, is right after the qualifying round of the adults tournament. Then directly after _that_ is the first round of the adult tournament. I've made reservations at a hotel on the island for all of us. The next day will be the second round at nine in the morning, then later that afternoon will be the third round. Finals will be held early the next morning and then a huge party will be after that. Everyone got it?" [1]

They all nodded. "Okay, then! Everyone put their bags in the back and we'll be off."

They all followed Bulma's orders and filed into the jet. Gohan took a seat by himself in the back of the jet. M. Trunks and Videl took the pair of seats in front of him.

"Buckle your seatbelts, everyone!!" Bulma ordered, taking the pilot's seat. She started up the jet and took off.

*~*

Almost everyone fell asleep immediately. Gohan, however, closed his eyes and chose to focus himself before the tournament. He went into deep meditation, catching Piccolo's attention. He watched him carefully, then decided to follow suit.

Gohan only opened his eyes when the stopped for breakfast at a fast-food restaurant. Bulma took everyone's orders and left the jet. As he waited for her to return, he checked out his competition more closely.

__

There's no way I'll get to fight them all . . . but I might as well act as if I will. I don't think M. Trunks will be much trouble for me to take down, or Krillin or Piccolo or Videl. Juuhachi should be easy to beat, too. That leaves Vegeta, Dad and Pikkon, who I've never seen fight before. But if he almost defeated my Dad . . . that could be trouble. Hmm . . . it all depends on the first round.

Bulma came back with a ton of bags and handed everybody one. Shortly after, then entered the air once again.

The flight was rather uneventful. When they finally landed on the island, Gohan eagerly got out of the jet and stretched, looking around. The place was crowded, full of fighters and spectators anxious for the fighting to start. All of the buildings were painted in bright colors and there was a vender at every corner. Everyone grabbed their bags and waited for Bulma to give them their instructions.

Bulma pulled a giant cart out of the back of the jet and told everyone to dump their bags in so that she could take them to the hotel.

All who were participating in the tournament began to look for the registration area after saying goodbye to the others. Registration was quick- a man took down their names and assigned them a number, then told them to go into the qualifying arena. Goten and Chibi Trunks protested adamantly to the junior division, but signed up anyway. Even though the little boys did not need to qualify for anything, then went with the others into the qualifying arena anyway.

Goku stared at the big red punching machine and frowned. "What in the world is THAT?"

Videl spoke up. "My Dad said that they've changed things a bit from last time. It's a punching machine. All you have to do is go up, punch it, and the machine will measure how strong your punch is. The fifteen people with the highest scores get in, but my father, since he was the last champion is automatically entered."

None of the Z fighters like the stupid machine, but did it anyway and all, of course, made it. As they finished up there, a monk called for all kids fighting in the junior division. Chibi Trunks and Goten went off, waving goodbye to their friends.

Next they moved to the room where the line up would be determined. They stood around, waiting for things to get started.

Videl was standing away from the group a bit, checking out two guys who were standing in a far off corner of the room. They both had brown hair that was slicked back in a weird way and they were staring directly at her with dark eyes.

Gohan noticed and went up to her side. He glared at the men across the room. "You okay?"

" . . . yes." _He's speaking to me?_

"Hello there."

Videl and Gohan turned around to see a short purple man with a mohawk, a very tall pinkish man and another person dressed in dark black robes standing behind them. Well, the short man wasn't standing, he was _floating _a few inches above the ground. And the man in all black had a hood covering his face, so Gohan and Videl couldn't see any of his features.

The purple man gave Videl a strange smile. "You must be Satan Videl. Am I right?"

"Um . . . yeah, that's me."

He stuck his hand out. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Shin, and this," he gestured to the pink man, "is Kibito." Shin did not introduce the other man. "We've heard so much about you and can't wait to see you fight."

Videl blinked several times. "Ah . . . thank you, I guess . . ."

Shin turned his attentions to Gohan. "And who might you be?"

"Er . . . Son Gohan."

The strange man looked a bit startled at that piece of information. "Are you . . . Goku's son?"

"Yes, that's me."

"And . . . Goku's here?"

"Yes . . ."

Shin smiled again. "Then this shall be quite a tournament, won't it? Well, it was very nice talking to you." He and his two buddies moved away.

"That was weird . . ." Videl muttered.

Gohan watched them carefully as they moved away. Why hadn't Shin introduced the other guy in the robe? "Try to stay away from those guys, Videl. And the others, too."

Videl nodded once.

The drawing started when Hercule finally emerged from another room. The results:

Hercule vs. Juuhachi Gohan vs. M. Trunks Videl vs. Krillin Shin vs. Asento ** Pikkon vs. Piccolo Goku vs. Mighty Mask *~* Vegeta vs. Kibito Sanme * vs. Pear ** 

Author's Note: Who do you think is gonna win? I'm not telling, but I want to see your guesses! This 25th Tenkaichi Budokai WILL go all the way to the finals!

Other Notes:

** These are the two guys who were staring at Videl. The ones with the brown hair.

*~* The REAL Mighty Mask was there, not Goten + Trunks. They'll be there later, okay?

* Sanme is the guy in the dark robe that was with Shin. If you know some Japanese, then I'm sure you'll be able to figure out who this is. J 

[1] Okay, I'm thinking that the Tenkaichi should be more than one day, because it's not really fair to keep making the people fight round after round, you know? I'll be doing my Tenkaichi differently. And to keep this from getting TOO long and drawn out, each round will be one chapter, okay? 

****

ADVERTISING: 'Good Friends' by Mystic Dragon. Anything by Mystic Dragon.

__

Next Chapter: The junior tournament of the Tenkaichi, then the adult first round. Gohan's gonna fight Trunks!! Will he win? Will he tell Videl how he feels?!


	26. II The 25th Tenkaichi Budokai: The First...

Author's Note: * Enchantress101 does a little dance, then trips on her two left feet and falls to the floor * I GOT 1000 + REVIEWS!!!!!!!!!! YAY!! Anyway, there's a hint about who Sanme is in brackets hidden somewhere in here. Look for it! Oh, yeah, and ANOTHER big thank you to Sean, because he had a great idea I never even thought of that I'm gonna use. Thanks!

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Something interesting I learned in Japanese Class: Any BSSM (Sailor Moon) fans out there? Have you ever wondered why Serena's Japanese name is Tsukino Usagi? Well, there's this Japanese legend that says rabbits came from/lived on the moon because (supposedly) some dark spots on the moon look like a rabbit making a rice cake for a New Year's celebration. _Usagi_ is the Japanese word for rabbit and _tsuki_ is moon. No makes it a possession. Cool? I thought so too. 

No, I don't own DBZ (or BSSM for that matter).

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Twenty Six *~*

The 25th Tenkaichi Budokai:

The First Round- Part One

Gohan paced around the men's changing room, awaiting the commencement of the adult tournament. He was readying himself for his upcoming fight with M. Trunks.

What luck! He'd gotten paired up with his adversary for the first round, just as he hoped he would be. He grinned slightly remembering the _extreme_ tension that had filled the area when everyone realized that he would be fighting Trunks. Gohan swore that he'd seen a flash of fear cross over the lavender haired boy's face when he found out, but as quickly as it came, it went.

The junior tournament was already over, and Chibi Trunks won, much to Gohan's severe disappointment. Goten, however, didn't seem to mind because, as he pointed out, he still won some money to buy toys with even though he'd come in second place. Chichi was very happy to receive the huge check on Goten's behalf as he ran off with Chibi Trunks, and probably to get into some trouble, right after he'd been knocked out of the ring. Hercule faked some sort of momentary sickness (that just happened to cure himself once Chibi Trunks left the stadium), so there was no exhibition match- not that any of the Z-fighters cared.

Gohan stretched his arms and legs, then shot M. Trunks another look. _A Briefs may have won THAT round, but not mine. I'm going to win this thing!_

Mirai Trunks was very nervous. He kept glancing over at Gohanacross the changing room, watching the other boy pace around. Gohan's ki was already very high to be in his regular state, meaning not Super, whether he knew it or not. This got M. Trunks worried. _He's probably thinking of all the ways he can kick my butt back to the future and enjoying it._ M. Trunks gulped. _Man, I'm in trouble . . ._

His father caught the scared look on his face and instantly became angry. Vegeta stomped over to M. Trunks and grabbed the front of his gi, pulling him off of his feet and very close to his face. "Look, _boy_, if your other self can defeat a Son, then so can you! Don't tell me you're AFRAID of the nerdy bookworm over there?!"

"Ah . . ." _You'd be afraid too if you'd been receiving death glares from him for the past three weeks!! _He laughed stiffly. "No, I'm not afraid!! Are you kidding me?! There's nothing to be afraid of!!" Trunks tried to get himself to believe that, but failed miserably.

Gohan must have overheard him because he stared at him with an eerie look on his face. Trunks paled and cursed himself for being to loud and turned his back to Gohan. He could tell that the dark haired boy was still shooting daggers at him with his eyes. M. Trunks began to sweat. _Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me ALONE! I didn't mean it . . . she's all yours!!_

The other men, even the two unknown people and Shin and his gang, were watching the exchange with slight interest. It would be an exciting second match.

Over in the tiny woman's changing room, Videl had just finished changing into her gi when Juuhachi came up to her.

"You've gotten yourself in quite a mess, haven't you?" the older woman muttered in a bored sounding voice. Videl, however, could tell that she was interested by the look in her eyes and the fact that she'd come up to her in the first place.

Videl looked surprised. "Uh . . . you mean with Gohan and Trunks? I guess . . ." _Yeah, a really big mess . . . none of this was supposed to happen!_

"At least this will result in an interesting match," mused Juuhachi.

"I guess . . ."

"I'm curious . . . which one are you going to pick?"

The younger girl raised a slim eyebrow. "You mean Chichi and Bulma didn't tell you what's going on?"

The former android shook her head. Videl filled her in on the plan to make Gohan jealous and how it had totally backfired. Juuhachi just shook her head. "I could've told you to never let those two run your love life. Look at it now."

"They meant well . . ."

She snickered. "You'll be feeling differently if one of them accidentally kills the other in their match. You'd better fix this or there'll be trouble. I don't want Vegeta to go berserk and hurt Marron or somebody because Gohan did something to Trunks."

"I'll fix it. Thanks for your concern . . ."

A monk came and fetched the women from the room where they joined up with the men in an area separated from the fighting ring. Videl glanced over at Gohan, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor, apparently meditating before his 'big match' against M. Trunks.

Shin was watching him out of the corner of his eye and the two other strange men with is other. _It appears young Gohan is gearing up for a big fight . . . could he possible know that those two men over there are not what they seem?_

The answer to that, of course, was no. He was thinking about one match and one match only- the one with Mirai Trunks.

*~*

__

While the adults are in the changing room . . .

"TRUNKS, where are we going?!" whined Goten as his friend pulled him along the walkway.

"That junior division was so _whack_! All those snot nosed weaklings . . . Anyway, I have an idea that'll be fun!" Trunks said eagerly. "On our way to the ring, I saw this masked dude walk by. He was going to enter the adult tournament!"
    
    "So?!" Goten's stomach rumbled as they passed a hotdog stand. His mouth instantly watered as he stuck his tongue out and breathed the aroma of the food deeply. "Aww, Trunks, can I get something ta eat?"
    "NO!! We only have one chance to do this!" Trunks looked around, then shoved Goten up and over a wall. He followed suit and pulled Goten behind a bush. He pointed to a short man wearing a funny costume. "That's him!"

Goten giggled. "Saiyaman looks way better than THAT guy!"

Trunks rolled his eyes. "We're gonna take his costume and enter the adult tournament!!"

Goten looked confused and scratched the back of his head. "But . . . he's going to just GIVE it to us?"

"Never mind. You sit here, and I'll do the work." Trunks emerged from the tree and put on his best innocent look, walking up to the man. "Sir, hey, sir, what's your name?"

The man looked down at Trunks. "Mighty Mask, kid. What's up?"

"Ahh . . ." Trunks looked around. The coast was clear . . . He grinned. "Sorry." Trunks leapt up and hit the guy on the back of the head. He crashed to the ground. "GOTEN, come HELP me!" Trunks grunted as he dragged the man into the bushes.

Goten looked very scared and said, "Isn't this against the law?"

"Shut up. Do you wanna fight for real or not?" Trunks tugged off the man's mask, then wrinkled his nose. "No wonder he wears a mask . . ."

They stripped the man of his costume and put it on, with Trunks climbing on top of Goten's shoulders. "AH HA!!! **SUPER** MIGHTY MASK IS BORN!!!!"

Goten sighed exasperatedly. "Trunks, I can't see a thing."

"Then poke out some eyes or something!"

Goten poked out two holes, then sighed when the warm shafts of light poured into the costume. "That's better."

"MIGHTY MASK!! Mr. Mighty Mask! They're about to start the first round!" called a monk, looked around.

The two boys emerged from the bush and Trunks said in a fake deep voice, "Here I am! Let's go!"

As the boys walked behind the monk, Goten was struggling to keep Trunks on his shoulders. _Man, he's gotta lay offa those cream puffs!_

*~*

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ARE YOU READY TO SEE SOME **ACTION**?!!!!!!" shouted the commentator dude.

The crowd screamed wildly.

"ARE YOU READY TO SEE SOME **BUTT KICKING**?!!!"

The crowd roared again.

"These fighters have come from all over the world and made it through the qualifying round to fight here before all of you today!!!! I've seen some of these fighters before, and, let me tell you, this is going to be an **UNFORGETTABLE** 25th Tenkaichi Budokai!!!"

The people in the stands cheered once again.

"Now let's get straight to the first match of this first round! We've got the current champ Hercule against a newcomer, and quite a pretty one at that! She's the lady with a number for a mane- she's Juuhachi!!!!!"

Juuhachi rolled her eyes and stepped out from the waiting area. She watched dully as Hercule entered the arena and waved to all of his fans, giving them his 'V' for victory sign. _Ridiculous! It almost isn't worth it!_ The men in the crowd whistled as she stepped into the ring.

Hercule looked slightly nervous. He'd seen the blond woman working with her short husband just before the start of the junior tournament. She could fly, shoot bombs or whatever from the palms of her hands . . . everything he COULDN'T do. Juuhachi just stared at him with blank eyes.

"Hi, there," said Hercule in a very hesitant voice.

"Don't. Speak," Juuhachi ordered.

He immediately shut up.

"Well, if our two fighters are ready . . . then FIGHT!!"

__

Let's get this over with. Juuhachi punched Hercule in the face, and he went flying . . . all the way out of the ring and into a brick wall. Everyone was silent as Juuhachi walked back to the waiting area.

"Errrrrr . . ." The commentator glanced at Hercule as he was placed on a stretcher and carried away. The former champ's eyes were spinning, and there was a huge welt on the side of his head. _Ouch! That had to hurt! _"I guess . . . JUUHACHI WINS!!"

People began to clap, but not enthusiastically. After all, a skinny blond woman had just taken down their hero in one punch. It would take a while to digest.

Gohan was aware that it was finally his time to fight. Everyone watched him as he opened his eyes and stood up. M. Trunks forced himself to calm down and headed outside.

As Gohan walked past Videl, she reached out to grab his arm. He stopped and looked down at her. She blushed a tiny bit, then said, "Good luck."

He nodded once and walked out and stood next to M. Trunks. The other boy shifted nervously and glanced at Gohan's unreadable face.

"Now, ladies and gents, we've got another great round for you all! The son of Son Goku, a past Tenkaichi champion, is fighting against a mysterious newcomer. Both look strong and ready to fight, so why don't we give a round of applause for Trunks- yes, another one- and Gohan!!!"

Chichi up in the stands yanked the binoculars from around Yamcha's neck, almost choking him in the process. She held them up to her eyes. "THERE'S MY BABY!!!! YOU GO, GOHAN!!! NO ONE TAKES YOUR WOMAN AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Yamcha winced. "If I remember clearly, Chichi, the plan was part **your** idea too."

Chichi chose to ignore him and leaned over- more like stepped on- several people to get a better look.

Sharpner and Erasa were only a few rows ahead of them. "Hey, look, it's Gohan's Mom!" Erasa pointed out. "Look at her stepping on those poor people's heads! Isn't she funny?"

Sharpner was more interested in why Gohan was in the ring. He'd managed to make it past the qualifying round? It must have been a mistake or something. There was no way that Gohan was good enough to be in the Tenkaichi! _It'll be good to see him get his ass kicked!!_

"Okay . . . FIGHT!!!" shouted the announcer.

Trunks watched Gohan carefully as he just stood there. His dark eyes were drilling holes into him. _If he's trying to intimidate me, then it's working!! Don't let it show . . . don't let it show . . . _"So, you gonna fight me, or are you gonna just stand there all day?"

Gohan's eyebrow twitched slightly.

__

Uh oh! Maybe I shouldn't have said that . . . I just signed my oven death certificate!

"No, I'm going to fight. I just thought that you'd like to know that Videl is MINE, not yours."

"Oh! Ohhhhh, this is about Videl?!" _As if I didn't know. _"Well, you can have her! She's all yours!! I didn't mean anything serious by going out with her . . ."

This only made Gohan angrier. "So you were playing with her feelings?!" That was WAY worse than actually liking her.

"NO!!! I-"

Too late. Gohan attacked, catching Trunks off guard. He punched the lavender haired boy in the face, sending him flying. Trunks managed to stop himself just in time. _He's not playing!! He wants my head!!! This calls for drastic measures. _Trunks went Super, getting gasps from the crowd.

Gohan grinned. "Oh, running scared already?"

__

Man, he can be creepy when he wants to be. "Bring it on!" _But not too hard!!_

Gohan attacked again without transforming. He had a hard time fighting Trunks off, and landed a punch to the other boy's face. Gohan took several steps back. "If that's all you're going to bring, then I'll just have to bring a little more."

Gohan tossed his head back and screamed, changing to SSJ2 without going through the first level. There was a bright flash of yellow light as the ground shook furiously. When everything settled down, Gohan was standing there, surrounded by a brilliant yellow light.

__

A LITTLE more? He meant a lot. Trunks was forced to go up to level two in the same fashion.

The boys immediately attacked each other again. They were all over the place- in the air and in the ring. The spectators could hardly keep up with the quick movements.

Gohan grabbed Trunks arm and tossed him over his head and into the air. He cupped his hands. "KA . . . ME . . ."

Videl's eyes widened. _He wouldn't . . . he's going to kill him!!_

Trunks growled and prepared his own beam.

"HA . . . ME . . ."

Videl held her breath.

" . . . HAAAAAAAA!!!!"

Gohan released his beam at the same time Trunks did. When they collided, there was a big, bright flash of light . . . Everyone was momentarily blinded, but there could hear someone crash to the ground.

Videl raced out from the waiting area and looked around. She could barely see, there was so much dust in the air, but she was almost sure that one of them had landed out of the ring.

The dust finally cleared . . .

Trunks was lying on the grass with his arms and legs spread wide open. Gohan was still in the air, breathing hard.

__

Gohan won . . . GOHAN WON!!!!!

Trunks picked himself up off of the ground as the announcer screamed over the crowd, "TRUNKS HAS LANDED OUT OF THE RING!! GOHAN IS THE **WINNER**!!!!!"

Gohan landed on the ground and walked up to Videl. She was startled as he took her hand and said softly, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

She just stared at him, then down at his hand that was holding hers. "I . . . you shut me out for three long weeks and expect you to forgive you just like that?"

"No . . ."

"Give me one good reason, Gohan, ONE GOOD REASON, why I should forgive you?" She immediately winced after the words left her mouth. _Shoot, he already apologized! What more do you want?_

He sighed. "There was no excuse for me to act like a jerk . . . but I was jealous, Videl. I was jealous that you were going out with Trunks and not me. Then I became fixated on BEATING Trunks and getting stronger for you . . ."

"Wait a minute. You were jealous that I was with Trunks and not you? Does that mean . . . you want ME to go out with YOU?"

Gohan flushed. "I . . . yeah. I know I don't deserve it or anything."

Videl shook her head. "No, no, no! You're not doing this correctly. Ask me out properly," she demanded.

He blinked. _Nani? _"Er . . . Videl, will you be my girlfriend?"

She grinned. "Of course!!" Videl threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "But you know, Gohan," she whispered into his ear, "fighting is NOT the way to win a girl's heart!"

Gohan turned red a bit. "Ah . . . you're right . . ."

Unknown to them, then announcer had the mic next to them the whole time, so the entire stadium full of people AND the viewers at home had heard their heart-felt exchange. Almost everyone in the crowd broke out in 'Awww's and hooted.

Videl and Gohan blushed when they realized what was going on. "Gosh . . ." muttered Gohan. Now almost everyone in the world knew that he and Videl were now an item. If this was a good or a bad thing, he wasn't sure.

"Ahh, young love at the Tenkaichi!" kidded the announcer. "Isn't it sweet?!"

Vegeta gagged in disgust, then glared at M. Trunks as he came back into the waiting area. He couldn't believe that his son had lost to some nerdy kid who'd slacked off for the past seven years. _Maybe there's more to that brat's power than I thought . . ._

Gohan blushed even more when Videl placed a kiss on his cheek. He placed an arm around her waist and led her back to the waiting area. _This didn't turn out how I thought it would . . . I didn't get to tell her that I love her. _He chuckled under his breath quietly. _But then again, I'm not complaining!_

Chichi was very happy. She danced in the stands, pointing to Gohan and Videl, shouting, "THAT'S MY BOY!!!! **THAT'S MY BOY**!!!!!"

Erasa hooted along with the rest of the crowd, happy that her best friend had finally hooked up with the guy she liked. Sharpner, however, was feeling just the opposite. There was a dazed look on his face and anger coursed through his body. First of all, how did Gohan know how to do all of that stuff? And why did Videl agree to be his girlfriend? _I'm dreaming . . . yep . . . that's it . . ._

Anyone who bothered to take a look at Mighty Mask would've said that it looked as if he was debating with himself.

"HAHA, Trunks, my brother beat you!" exclaimed Goten happily.

"No, he beat the OTHER ME!!!!" Trunks protested.

"So, he's still YOU!"

"Nuh uh! Shut up! I don't look like a _pansy_!"

Goten giggled. "You sure about that?"

Trunks proceeded to reach down to punch Goten in the face. Goten danced out of the way, almost causing Trunks to fall over and blow their cover.

Fortunately, no one was looking at them, so it went unnoticed. The Z-Fighters were too busy congratulating the new couple.

Goku elbowed Gohan in the ribs. "I knew you could do it, Gohan!!! That's my boy!"

Krillin winked at him. "You lady's man . . ."

Gohan turned bright red while Videl just snickered and walked over to Trunks, who'd slumped the floor. His head was resting against the wall.

"You okay?" she asked.

He grinned at her. "Fantastic! I'm so relieved. I thought he was gonna kill me!"

"I wanted to," Gohan said. "Looks like Videl isn't yours anymore," Gohan replied in a smug tone as he pulled Videl back closer to him.

Trunks rolled his eyes. "She never was mine, Gohan. We pretended to go out with each other to make you jealous so that you'd ask her out or something."

Gohan looked shocked, then angry. "NANI?! I ignored Videl for no good reason?! Well, what about that kiss?!"

Trunks looked thoughtful. "Now that . . . I did enjoy." He rolled away before Gohan could kick him in the head.

Outside, the announcer cleared his throat. "If Ms. Videl is ready to start the next match . . . unless she's . . . _ahem_ . . . too BUSY with her new boyfriend right now . . ."

Videl rolled her eyes and reluctantly left Gohan's arms. "My fans await. Wish me luck Gohan."

Instead of saying it, he reached down, lifted her chin slightly with his fingers and placed a kiss firmly on her lips. As expected, most of the Z-Fighters clapped and cheered, especially Goku. Even Mighty Mask in the corner was cheering. She flushed and pushed him away gently, leaving the waiting area.

Gohan stopped Krillin before he could walk out. "Hey . . . go easy on her . . . I mean, don't HURT her or anything . . ."

"Like I would. I know you'd come after my head if I did," the short man snickered. "Calm down, she can take care of herself."

Gohan looked a bit sheepish. "Umm . . . I guess she can! Sorry."

Krillin winked at him again. "Don't worry about it. We mens gotta watch our womens, right?"

"Right . . . er . . . I'll be rooting for Videl, so . . . ah . . ."

"Damn, Gohan, would you let me go out there and fight already?!"

"Sorry. Go on."

Krillin rolled his eyes and walked out to join Videl in the ring. As expected, all of the spectators were rooting for Videl, especially since she'd just hooked up with the guy who she would have to fight if she won the match.

Krillin found himself in a sticky situation. He'd have to hurt Videl a little bit to win, but then Gohan would be angry with him. Then again . . . if he just GAVE the match to Videl, his wife would go ballistic. _Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place . . . sheesh!_

"In the ring we've got everyone's favorite hero, Satan Videl!!!!!!!" shouted the announcer. The crowd went crazy for her. "Against her is Krillin, who's been in this tournament before when he was just a kid and nearly took the title. Who knows how much he's improved over the years! This should prove to be an interesting match. Now, if both fighters are ready . . . then FIGHT!!"

The short man looked a bit nervous, shooting a glance over at Gohan. His wife was watching him very closely, as if she knew he might chicken out and let Videl win or something. He began to sweat, then made up his mind. _Sorry, Gohan, but I've gotta win this one for my girls. _Although Krillin had never really seen Videl in action, he'd heard that she was pretty good. _But she can't be that good! She's only eighteen and I'm . . . ah, older than that! I've got way more experience! Alright, Krillin, let's do this thing!!_

He attacked and looked surprised when Videl blocked it. She grinned. "I'm better than that!"

Back in the waiting area, Vegeta was grumbling about how the match was a waste of everyone's time. "They should just give short man the win and get on with it!!"

Goku shook his head. "You never know! Maybe Videl's found her power."

"Found her power my ass," Vegeta replied.

Shin was also watching the match very closely as the pair fought in the ring. _If you approach this situation logically, Krillin should win. He has more experience and his ki is higher than hers . . . BUT there is the energy factor. If she's managed to find her true power, then she just may be able to win . . ._

Kibito came up to his side and said very softly, "Look. Over in the corner there."

Shin shifted his eyes a bit to the side. One of the men with slicked back brown hair had shoved the others aside to get a better look at the match. He wore a secretive grin and followed every move made by Videl and Krillin in the ring.

"Do you think he's the one?" Shin asked, turning to his friend.

"Yes. I've noticed that the other man wait to receive orders from HIM, not the people who've been showing us around. And see the way he's watching them?"

"You mean her," Shin corrected.

"Right. In addition, judging from their reaction when the two boys powered up, they are the ones."

[Shin smirked a bit. "Then we will have our new friend keep an . . . eye on each of them, and the girl as well."]

Kibito looked surprised. "Why . . . was that a _joke_?"

Shin did not say a word but grinned slightly.

Up in the stands, Chichi was rooting for her son's new girlfriend. Bulma replied, "There's no way she'll win."

Yamcha, the Ox King and even Oolong and Puar had to agree with the blue haired woman. There was just no way that she could beat Krillin.

Chichi looked angry. "Shut up, all of you!! You don't know what you're talking about!!"

"Come on, Chichi," Yamcha said, "be realistic."

Chichi refused to listen to any of them as they tried to reason with her. She watched as the match continued, with Krillin and Videl looking equal at the moment. _She can win! I know it! _"GO VIDEL!!!!!"

Down in the ring, Krillin noticed as Videl's movements began to slow. She was getting tired. He grinned and upped his attacks, backing her closer to the edge of the ring.

She seemed to sense what he was doing ad tried to stop him. Krillin landed a punch in her stomach, and then one to her face. Videl fell back onto the hard stone of the ring.

Krillin could almost feel the death glares radiating from Gohan and tried to ignore them. "COME ON VIDEL!!!!" Gohan shouted. "GET UP!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!"

Videl picked herself up, breathing hard. She went on the offensive, trying to save herself from being pushed over the edge. Nothing was working, however, and Krillin looked as if he was about to take the match.

Krillin winced, then punched Videl hard and knocked her over. Her breaths were coming in deep, heavy long pants and sweat ran down her face.

__

Come . . . ON . . . get UP!! Videl tired to punch herself up, only to slump back down in fatigue.

Krillin looked sorry for her and decided to end the match. He kicked out his foot to push her out of the ring.

Author's Note: Haha! Cliffhanger! Okay, I lied about one round per chapter- this was too good to pass up! Anyway, who caught the HINT? It was in brackets! Go back and look, then e-mail me your ideas: tobygirl2020@yahoo.com

**ADVERTISING:** * Enchantress101 takes a deep breath and prepares herself to be laughed at * Okay, this is a first! I thought all Digimon fics would be corny and cheesy as the show can be sometimes with little kids running around with their little Digimon and such, but I was wrong. 

This Digimon fic is a Daiken/Kensuke fic with a little Taito in it too. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about. I'll explain. Daiken is a romance fic w/ **Dai**suke (Davis) and **Ken**, and Taito is a fic with **Tai**chi (Tai) and Yama**to **(Matt)romance. Weird, huh? I pulled out my big, FAT Japanese dictionary to see what the HECK these Digimon authors were talking about, then I eventually figured it out for myself. J There are a TON of name combos out there . . . it's easy to get confused!

Er . . . anyway, its called 'Fine Art' by faded jae if anyone's interested. It's really good!! Even if you hate the show, it's worth the read cuz it has little to do with digimon. J 

__

NEXT CHAPTER: Does Videl loose the match with Krillin? And . . . the rest of the first round. Who will advance?

__


	27. II The 25th Tenkaichi Budokai: The First...

Author's Note: I wrote this chapter, rewrote it, and rewrote it some more, but nothing helped. I had a major writer's block, so excuse me if this sounds like crap, which I think it does. I didn't read over this that much because I got tired of looking at it, so excuse my mistakes. Um, this chapter's pretty busy and all, stuff discovered, etc . . .

****

WARNINGS: Sorta confusing, cliffhanger (J ), language (as usual), fighting, but nothing gory . . .

I don't own DBZ, just the made up characters, which I'm sure you all recognize by now.

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Twenty Seven *~*

The 25th Tenkaichi Budokai:

The First Round- Part Two

Gohan watched helplessly as Videl struggled to keep herself in the fight. She was loosing it, he could tell, and, by the looks on his friend's faces, everyone else could too. He winced when Krillin punched her and she fell to the ground. "COME ON VIDEL!!!!" Gohan shouted. "GET UP!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!"

She got back up and began to fight again, only to fall to the ground once more. A pitying look crossed Krillin's face as he moved his leg back to kick Videl out of the ring.

Videl growled underneath her breath. _I will NOT loose this!! _She stayed on the ground and waited until Krillin's foot neared her. _Wait . . . wait . . . NOW!_

As fast as lightning, Videl's hand shot out and grabbed Krillin's foot and squeezed on it hard. He yelped in pain and began to loose his balance.

__

This is it Videl! Take the chance!! She yanked on Krillin's foot and rolled over, bringing Krillin down onto the ring floor with a thud. While Krillin lay there with swirls in his eyes, stunned and aching all over from the fall, Videl dragged the small man over her body . . . and pushed him out of the ring, plopping him roughly on the green grass.

Gohan was jumping up and down. "SHE WON!!!" he cried. "VIDEL WON!!!!"

Vegeta shook his head. "Short man got too confident and let her surprise him. What a weakling!" he scoffed.

"AND SATAN VIDEL HAS WON THE MATCH!!!!!!! Let's give it up for her!!!!" shouted the announcer as the crowd cheered wildly.

Videl managed to pick herself up and waved to the crowd as she limped back over to Gohan. He scooped her up in his arms. "GOOD JOB!!" he exclaimed, giving her a big kiss on the mouth.

She grinned weakly at him. "It's all in the strategy."

Krillin walked over, looking mildly embarrassed. He ignored the looks Vegeta sent him and said to Videl, "Good match. You're very talented."

"Thanks! You're not so bad yourself."

Up in the stands, Chichi was dancing on top of people's heads, pointing to Bulma, Puar, Oolong, Yamcha and the Ox King. She stuck her tongue out at them and said, "I TOLD you Videl could win!! Haha!"

"She got lucky," was all Yamcha said in reply, although he had to admit, Videl was pretty good and had to have some sort of ability to catch someone who'd been in many battles off guard the way she did.

"Alright, fans, let's get the next match under way!! We've got two newcomers- Shin and Asento. Let's give them a warm welcome as the come out!!!"

Shin watched as Asento's companion moved back and the other man moved forward. _He must be the one . . ._ The mysterious man gave Videl and Gohan, who were currently draped all over each other, a hard, lingering look, then walked out, pushing Vegeta out of the way as he did.

The Saiyan prince looked furious and was just about to say something to the stranger when, as Shin walked past him, the purple man brought his right hand up to his chest, over his heart, and made a familiar symbol with his fingers and nodded ever so slightly. Vegeta watched, startled as he brought down his hand slowly and continued on his way.

Everyone else looked confused, but Vegeta kept replaying Shin's actions in his mind until something finally clicked. "WHO THE HELL IS THAT GUY?!" Vegeta demanded angrily.

Goku raised a brow. "What do you wanna know for?"

"That guy . . . whoever he is . . . he . . . HOW . . . I . . . JUST TELL ME HIS NAME!!"

Gohan winced. "His name is Shin. What's wrong?"

Piccolo's mouth fell open. "SHIN, you said?"

"What's up with you two?" Goku asked.

Piccolo frowned. _Shin . . . impossible! If he is who I think he is, then WHY would he be at this tournament? It doesn't make sense! Unless . . . _Piccolo shot a quick glance over to the two brown-haired men in the corner. _Unless something's going down . . ._

Vegeta turned to face the group. "He knew the-"

Kibito suddenly walked directly in front of Vegeta, shutting him up. The pink man glanced down at him, then gazed out at the ring where Shin and Asento were standing. "You'd be wise to keep your mouth shut," he grumbled so that only he could hear.

But, of course Piccolo overheard, with his super-sensitive ears and all. So when Vegeta began to protest, he said, "Shut up, Vegeta! For once, listen to someone else!"

Krillin winced. _This is NOT good. _M. Trunks sighed warily.

Juuhachi rolled her eyes. _How juvenile . . . men!_

Vegeta looked outraged and stepped around Kibito. "Don't talk to me that way, Namek! You know that I could whip your ass in a second, so don't try me! And as for the pink guy there, why should I listen to one thing he says?! I-"

Both Kibito and Piccolo looked murderous. Goku shook his head and clamped his hand over Vegeta's mouth, pulling him away from Kibito. "Chill out, Vegeta! Piccolo didn't mean anything, and I'm sure Kibito didn't either!"

Vegeta wrestled himself out of Goku's grip, muttering, "Damn Kakkarot . . ." over and over again.

Out in the ring, Shin was analyzing the situation. Although he was almost 100 percent sure that this was the man he was looking for, he had to be sure. _There IS one way . . . if I loose on purpose . . . he'd have to fight the girl in the next round. It will be interesting to see what his reaction is. No need to let him see any of my powers or to draw this out then . . ._

Shin glanced over at the announcer, who was waiting for them to start fighting, and said, "I'd like to concede the match."

The announcer looked surprised. "Are you _sure_? Once you back out, you can't . . ."

"I'm sure."

The announcer raised his mic to his mouth and spoke. "It seems . . . that Shin wants to surrender his match . . . which would, by the rules, make Asento the winner . . ."

Some people booed as Shin left the ring and joined Kibito's side. Gohan kept his eye on both of them as they went to speak in hushed toned to their hooded friend, then eyed Asento. He didn't like the way this Asento guy kept boring holes into the back of his head, nor the way he followed Videl around with his eyes.

__

What's going on here? This isn't some simple Tenkaichi anymore. Something more serious is going down, and I wonder what these new guys have to do with it . . . Gohan sighed heavily and pulled Videl closer to him.

She glanced up at her new boyfriend, seeing the worried look on his face. "What's wrong Gohan? You look concerned about something."

He glanced around. "I am worried. Something strange is going on here. No one is what quite what they seem, not Shin or his friends, not Asento and that other guy. And I don't like the way any of them keep staring at you all the time."

Videl smirked. "Can I help it if I'm beautiful?" Then she got a little more serious. "There seems to be a lot of string going on around here. That guy in the robes keeps looking at you and your dad."

"How can you tell? He's wearing a hood," Gohan snickered.

She elbowed him in the ribs. "You know what I mean. I can almost FEEL it. The two guys with the weird hair are looking at me, Shin's looking at EVERYONE, Vegeta's giving Kibito and Piccolo his patented death glare, and he keeps glancing over at Shin too."

"I didn't know Vegeta had three eyes. Where's the other one?"

Videl grinned. "Up his ass. But, _seriously_, I see what you're talking about. You're the genius around here- got any ideas?"

Gohan shook his head. "None yet. But I'll be working on it."

She hugged him tightly. "It'll be fine, I know it will. But you should try to relax- we're here to have fun!"

Gohan sighed. "I know, I know . . . sorry." Out of the corner of his eye, he was vaguely aware that the man in the dark robes was speaking to Pikkon in a low voice. Pikkon was listening very carefully, nodding the whole time. _So I was right! Something IS going on! Pikkon obviously knows that guy. But from where, and why?_

"Our next match is between Piccolo and Pikkon! If they'll come out . . ." The announcer waited until both green men came forward. "Well, folks, it looks as if we've got TWO green guys here today. While Pikkon is a newcomer to the tournament, Piccolo was here before and did quite a number on our ring and stadium. Let's give it up for them as they take to the ring!"

Piccolo and Pikkon entered the ring and stood across from each other. The Midorian crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. He didn't like the orders he'd received at all, but he had to do it. There was no way he could disobey the Supreme Kai. _There goes my chance to fight Goku again._

"Now that both of the competitors are ready . . . FIGHT!"

Piccolo immediately attacked with a barrage of punches and kicks. Pikkon easily blocked them, turning the situation over and over in his head. _I've gotta make this all look real . . . _Pikkon got in a few punches and kicks, then let Piccolo's fist come into contact with his face.

Piccolo growled under his breath and kneaded Pikkon in the stomach, then punched him again, sending him flying out of the ring.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow and pushed himself off of the wall he'd been leaning on. "What the hell?! Did the Namek just beat him?! Impossible!"

Even Goku was stunned. _Did Piccolo get THAT GOOD while I was gone?_

Gohan glanced at Shin, who was nodding slightly. _Wait a minute . . . jeez, I get it! Pikkon's working for Shin! And . . . Shin must've told the man in the robes to tell Pikkon to loose the match on purpose. But why did he want Piccolo to win? I don't get it._

Piccolo was very angry as he stalked off of the ring and back to the waiting area. Pikkon joined them shortly afterwards with a blank look on his face.

"What the HELL do you think you're playing at?!" demanded Piccolo.

Pikkon kept the neutral look. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied smoothly.

The Namek grabbed the other green man by the front of his shirt and pulled his feet off of the ground. "Don't give me that! I know you lost on purpose! It was way too easy to defeat you!"

Although Pikkon managed to remain expressionless, Gohan knew that Piccolo was right. He HAD thrown the match to let Piccolo win. Gohan left Videl's side and placed a hand on Piccolo's shoulder. "Calm down, Piccolo. It's okay," he said out loud. Then he muttered, "We'll talk later," under his breath.

Piccolo reluctantly let go of Pikkon and retreated to the back of the room.

Videl frowned and looked around. _There is something going on here. Gohan was absolutely right. Everyone's getting upset about something or other, and the tension is so high right now. _Videl took to Gohan's side and decided, just to be safe, to stay there for the rest of the matches.

"Goten? Goten? GOTEN!" Chibi Trunks hissed. "Are you awake down there?"

The bottom half of Mighty Mask shifted. "Yeah . . . what? Is it our turn yet?"

"Sure is! And we're fighting your Dad," Trunks said anxiously. "With TWO against one, we should have no trouble beating him!"

"Are you kidding, Trunks?!" Goten exclaimed. "I've seen my Dad fight Piccolo AND Krillin at the same time! We'll be toast!"

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Krillin and Piccolo are weak. Krillin lost to a **girl**, and Piccolo won his match because Pikkon let him- he practically said so himself! Don't be stupid, Goten!"

" . . . whatever you say, Trunks. Let's go then!"

Goku eyed Mighty Mask in suspicion as he walked past him. _He looks funny . . . and I could've sworn I heard two voices coming from him once! _He looked over at Piccolo, who, despite his recent run in with Pikkon, looked slightly amused.

"Goku," Piccolo whispered, "Mighty Mask is Goten and Trunks."

Goku looked startled. _Goten and Trunks? _"Nani? What do you mean?"

"I heard two voices coming from him just now, and I recognized on as Goten's. So the other half of him must be Trunks."

"Oh . . ." Goku chuckled. _I wonder where they got that costume?_ "Well, I'm just going to have to separate them, hmm?"

"I guess so. This should be interesting."

Gohan shot his father a thumbs up and smiled. Goku winked back and exited the waiting area. The lower half of Might Mask seemed to be wiggling anxiously as the announcer said, "And now it's time for our next match! We've got Mighty Mask and Son Goku in the ring, two returnees to the Tenkaichi Budokai. Now that both men are ready . . . FIGHT!!"

"Now, Goten! Let's attack first!" Trunks hissed from the top of the costume.

"OKAY!!" Goten shouted a little too loudly.

Goku tried not to laugh. It WAS Goten and Trunks in there! How had they gotten that costume? And more importantly, did they actually think that they could WIN? He dodged Mighty Mask's attack, then grabbed the back of the suit and lifted the boys from the ground.

Goten began to kick his legs wildly while screaming, "**HE'S GOT US!!! HE'S GOT US!!!** Trunks, we're **DOOMED**!!!"

"Shut up, baka!" Trunks said back, trying to punch at Goku, who held him away from his body and laughed at him. "Try to kick him!"

Goten tried, but his short legs didn't get anywhere.

Goku started laughing, then reached down under the costume, pulling Goten out. He fell onto the ring floor, looking petrified. Next, Goku took off the mask and set Trunks down too.

"Aww, shoot . . ." Trunks muttered.

"What exactly do you boys think you're doing?" Goku asked, forcing back his giggles. "You two could've gotten hurt fighting us older guys!"

"We can take you!" Chibi Trunks protested and was just about to attack when the announcer said, "WAIT A MINUTE!!! YOU CAN'T FIGHT!!"

Goten and Chibi Trunks looked hurt and upset. "WHY NOT?!" they both demanded at the same time.

"You're two people AND you're underage. Sorry, boys, maybe when you get older. So, due to Mighty Mask being two UNDERAGE people, Goku automatically wins the match and will advance to the second round!"

Goku grinned, then turned to the two boys. "Now, I think I need to have a little talk with you two boys . . ."

Chibi Trunk's eyes widened. _Man, we're in trouble!! _He grabbed Goten's arm and took off, running out of the stadium at top speed. _Maybe he won't be so angry later!_

Meanwhile, almost all of the fighters were laughing as Goku returned to the waiting area. Videl couldn't believe that the two little boys had enough guts to go out there and try to fight GOKU, of all people. She just shook her head.

Vegeta flexed his muscles and gave Kibito and evil grin. _I'll teach that pink idiot not to cross the Saiyan Prince! He's going to be in a world of pain when I get through with him!!_

"Now, for our next match," the announcer was saying, "we've got Kibito and . . . and . . . hold on, I can't quite read his name . . . ah, yes, we've got Vegetable and Kibito up next. If both men will take the ring so we can begin . . ."

Gohan snickered behind his hands, while Videl laughed outright. _Hahahahaha!! Vegetable . . . good one!!_

A vein throbbed in Vegeta's forehead and shot Videl a heated glare. "Damn jackass . . . can't even read . . ." he grumbled, stalking out into the ring.

Even Kibito was grinning a bit as he joined Vegeta outside.

"Here we go, folks, the second to last match of the first round! Okay . . . FIGHT!!!!"

__

"There's no need for the enemy to know that there are any more Saiyans at the Tenkaichi right now," Kibito remembered Shin saying._ "Let Vegeta defeat you before he powers up."_

If he wants it that way . . . fine. Kibito attacked Vegeta and the two began to fight fiercely.

Gohan glanced over at Piccolo, then pulled him aside, away from all prying ears. He looked around, then whispered, "I've figured some stuff out, Piccolo. Something you might want to know."

"What is it?"

"Pikkon's working for Shin."

Piccolo looked surprised. "But . . . how did you find that out?"

"I was watching when Shin spoke to the guy in the robes, who went to speak with Pikkon. He seems more than willing to obey any orders he'd received, which, by the way, were probably to let you win the match."

"Gohan . . . do you know who Shin is?" Piccolo asked hesitantly.

"No . . . should I?"

"He's . . ." The Namek's voice lowered drastically. "The Supreme Kai."

Gohan blinked several times. " . . . wait . . . what? WHO?"

"Let me explain it like this- there are the North, South, East and West Kai's. Above them is the Grand Kai, and above all of them is the Supreme Kai. I always though that he was just a myth, because no one really saw him, but . . . there he is."

"So . . . what is he doing at the Tenkaichi?" Gohan wondered.

"I bet he found out that a Saiyan was going around purging again and decided to put a stop to it, which would explain why he's on earth in the first place. What this has to do with the Budokai, I don't know?"

Gohan thought hard. _What am I missing? _He shot a glance over to Videl, who was watching to match with great interest, then to the two men standing off in the corner. _He's still watching Videl . . . _Gohan smacked himself on the forehead.

"Duh! It's all obvious!" he muttered.

"What is?"

"Rattai must've sent some men here to get Videl, and Shin's going to try to protect her or something. Those two brown haired guy must be Saiyans."

Piccolo grinned. "With dyed and slicked-back hair so as not to be recognized."

"Right, which would tell us why Kibito interrupted Vegeta earlier when he was about to go into his 'I-am-the-mighty-Saiyan-Prince-so-fear-me' tirade." Gohan frowned. "But why doesn't Shin just come up to us and tell us what's going on? I'm sure he realizes that we're not just ordinary fighters, you know?"

Piccolo snickered. "That's easy. Do you see the way he's playing with the line-up? He got Pikkon to loose on purpose and I bet Vegeta's going to win too. He's trying to see who the strongest of all of us are, and then he'll probably approach the strongest for help separately."

"So he's assuming that we have no clue as to what's going on," Gohan mused. "And since Pikkon didn't have any form of contact with Shin, he couldn't tell the Supreme Kai anything. He couldn't risk one of us discovering his connection with Shin, so he couldn't just go up to him right now and talk to him."

"Very good. It all makes sense now, once you think about it. What I want to know is who is the guy in the robes. I've noticed him watching us, you and Goku more than anyone else."

Gohan shrugged. "I have no idea who he is, but I want to find out as much as you do."

Sudden cheering interrupted their discussion, and they returned to the group to see what had happened. Apparently, Vegeta had knocked Kibito out of the ring, and looked smug about it. Although he didn't say a word to the pink man, everyone could tell that Vegeta was basking in his latest victory.

__

Vegeta would've won that match anyway, Gohan observed. _But I know Shin must've told Kibito to make it quick or something. We're gonna have to confront Shin and his group sooner or later, and I'd rather it be sooner._

"Well, folks, it's time for our LAST MATCH of the day!! We've got Sanme and Pear, both new to the tournament, fighting next."

Gohan eyed the man in the black robes carefully as he walked by him, then went closer to the front of the waiting area to get a better look at the match. _Maybe his robes will come off during the match so I'll get to see who he is._

Videl looked a little upset that Gohan wasn't paying much attention to her when they'd just gotten together. He seemed more focused on the strangers at the tournament that anything else. _Well, he and I are going to have a little talk later tonight. If he thinks he can ask me out, then keep me on **display** or whatever, then he has another thing coming!_

It seemed all of the Z-Fighters were anxious for this match to get underway. There were two people they didn't know out in the ring, which the winners viewed as potential competition. Gohan sent Piccolo a meaningful look as the match began.

Pear attacked first and Sanme easily blocked. After a few minutes of even sparing, Sanme began to take the upper hand. It was obvious that Pear was getting desperate, and fired a huge ki blast at the other man in the ring.

Gohan's eyes widened as a thin shield of light appeared in front of Sanme, saving him front the blast. He took advantage of Pear's shock and punched him out of the ring.

"AND SANME IS THE WINNER!!!!" cried the announcer. "That ends the first round of the tournament. Congratulations to all of today's winners and good luck in the next round tomorrow!"

Sanme rejoined Shin and Kibito, and the three wandered away. The two Saiyans followed shortly after and Pikkon left too.

__

That just proves my theory. Now I'm sure he's working for Shin! Gohan turned to his friends. "We all need to talk. Now."

Goku frowned. "I'm hungry! Can we talk over food?" he asked hopefully.
    
    Gohan sighed. "Sure, whatever. Come on."

*~*

The group eventually met up with Chichi, Bulma and the others and found a quiet area to sit where Goku could eat his food in peace. As he wolfed down his food, Gohan looked around in the bushes and up trees to make sure they weren't being watched or anything.

Vegeta looked ticked off. "What are you afraid of, boy? A conspiracy or something? Are we all bugged?"

Gohan shrugged his shoulders, then sat on the grass when he was sure that everything was okay. "We could be. Look, we all have to admit that some pretty strange stuff has been going on at the tournament."

Krillin nodded. "Yeah . . . so?"

Bulma glared at them all. "Maybe SOME of us don't. Remember, we were up in the stands."

Gohan briefly went over what had happened down in the waiting area. "Piccolo and I have figured some stuff out."

"Like what?" Yamcha questioned.

"For starters, Shin is the Supreme Kai," Gohan replied.

They all looked shocked.

"That's right, the Supreme Kai. It turns out that Pikkon is working for him, Shin's been toying with us for a while, making sure that all of us, particularly the fighters that he thinks are the strongest, fight against each other sooner or later. It's his way of observing us and judging us," continued Gohan.

Chichi looked at Gohan as if he were crazy. "And how did you figure all of this out?"

"I've been watching them all. It all fits. You see, I saw the guy in the robes speaking with Pikkon just before his match with Piccolo, probably to tell him that Shin wanted him to loose on purpose. That way, he would have to advance to the next round to fight against my Dad so he can observe the both of them at the same time, and against each other." Gohan paused to make sure everyone understood. "We think he's here because of Rattai. He's sent two Saiyans to the tournament, the two other strangers, Asento and Pear. This is why, Vegeta, Kibito cut you off earlier, so that you wouldn't announce that you were THE Saiyan Prince."

"Shin was probably the one who messed up his name, too," Juuhachi put in. "I'm sure they'd realize that who Vegeta was if his name was said."

Gohan looked thoughtful. "That's right! I didn't even think about that! Man, he had everything covered, didn't he? Sending out Pikkon in advance to watch over Videl, then coming here and all . . ."

Vegeta snorted. "We don't have time to sit around and marvel at Shin's amazing tactical plans. I say we go up to him and-"

"I'm sure he'll come up to us," Gohan said. "There's no need to form an alliance with Shin and get the two Saiyans suspicious about why we're acting so buddy-buddy with him all of a sudden. I'm sure Shin has a reason to keeping everything quiet, and we don't want to jeopardize anything that he may have planned that could help us in the long run, okay?"

"So you're saying that we should act as if we know nothing?" Krillin muttered.

"Right, unless he comes to one of us. Got it?"

Everyone nodded.

"Say, Vegeta," Krillin wondered, "What was up with you earlier? Why'd you get so upset at Shin?"

Vegeta looked mad again and glared at nothing. "Shin knew that sign of respect given to the members of the Saiyan royal family. Naturally I was shocked, but that was before I knew who he was." _But I wonder . . . WHY did he do it?_

Chichi looked around, then at the spot that had been occupied by Videl just a little while earlier, before Gohan had started to speak. _Oh, no . . ._ "Gohan . . . where's Videl?"

"Right . . ." He looked to his right, only to see the spot where Videl was SUPPOSED to be. "Damn!"

*~*

Videl was walked back to the area where the group was when she realized that someone was following her. She'd gone to the restroom while Gohan had been peeking in and out of bushes, thinking that they wouldn't miss her if she was gone for one second. But Videl hadn't expected a long line outside of the bathroom, then hiked all the way over to the bathroom reserved for women fighters in the Tenkaichi.

Now, as she quickened her pace along the strangely empty sidewalk, she wished that she'd told _someone _where she was going and asked Gohan to go with her, even though he'd chosen to ignore her for part of the day.

Yes, she knew that it was a stupid move on her part, going somewhere alone, but she was tired of being followed around constantly by one of the Z0Fighters and longed for a minute of independence.

Videl almost broke out in a run, speeding around corners to loose whoever was following her. She vaguely realized that it wasn't working, that someone was still following her. _Damn, damn, damn! I'm in trouble!_

Suddenly someone grabbed Videl's arm, pulled her into an alley and clamped a firm hand over her mouth.

Author's Note: YES, I know I'm evil, no need to tell me that. Another cliffhanger. I couldn't resist. Sorry again for the crappy chapter. If the explanations above confused anyone, then e-mail me at tobygirl2020@yahoo.com

P.S. Notice the amount of attention placed on Asento . . . * ahem * 

****

ADVERTISING: This time I'm doing a whole site dedicated to the wonderful world of Harry Potter fics. The address is www.fictionalley.org, and it seems that only decent authors post there, so almost anything is a good read. Check it out, it's really cool.

__

NEXT CHAPTER: What happened to Videl?! Gohan freaks out, Shin speaks and just WHO is the guy in the robes? (As if you all don't know.) That and more!


	28. II The 25th Tenkaichi Budokai: Shin's Pl...

Author's Note: SORRY, SO SORRY for taking so long. I had a major writer's block, and the only thing that helped was writing something else. Don't worry, the other thing is on hold- this is my main concern now. Another thing that helped me kick the block was drawing. Now, I really thought I had no talent in that area, but this wonderful site, www.howtodrawmanga.com, helped me out ton. Learn how to draw basic anime type people and there are even Goku, Vegeta and Trunks tutorials up there. Check it out if you're ever bored.

I don't own DBZ. Sorry to disappoint anyone. (Man . . . I need new episodes . . . I'm dying . . .) 

Oh, yeah, I didn't read any of my reviews for the last chapter. I started to . . . but then noticed the flame I got and couldn't go any further. Please ask any questions you had again. Thanks.

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Twenty Eight *~*

Shin's Plan

Videl instinctively struggled against the person's strong grasp, kicking her legs back frantically and clawing at her captor's hands. The person dragged her further back into the alley and hissed in her ear, "Stop fighting me! I'm not going to hurt you! Be quiet if you don't want to be caught!" rasped a deep masculine voice.

Videl stilled, breathing hard as the person who'd been following walked past the alley without a second glance. She recognized the person as one of the two guys from the Tenkaichi Budokai. _Why was he following me? What did he want?_

Her captor slowly let go of her. Videl stumbled away and whirled around to come face to . . . face with the hooded man. "YOU!! What in the world is going on?! And why are you hiding in an alley like some sort of freak?!"

"Saving your behind," he replied teasingly.

Videl glared at him. "LOOK, I don't know who you are, and I really don't care, but-"

__

Damn, she has a mouth! "Come on, let's get you back to Gohan." The man took her arm and quickly led her out of the alley, walking in the opposite direction from which she'd ran.

"Wait . . . why are we going this way? The others are back THERE!" Videl sighed heavily as he continued to pull her along. "Hey, are you listening?!"

"Do you want to run into that guy?"

" . . ."

"That's what I thought. Stop yelling, or we'll get caught."

"Sorry . . ."

The continued to walk until they hit a dead end. "Brilliant, just brilliant," Videl muttered. "What now, genius?"

"We go up and over." The man in the robes grasped Videl by the waist and flew over the wall, setting her safely on the grass. They were in the area where Gohan and the others were sitting, enjoying their snack.

"VIDEL!!" shouted Gohan, jumping up off of the grass and running up to her. "We were just about to go looking for you and . . ." He just then noticed one of Shin's friends standing there. He yanked Videl over to his side and glared at the man in the robes. "What were you doing with him?! Videl, you shouldn't have ran off like that!! I-"

"Yes, MOM, I know! Jeez, Gohan, this guy helped me out," Videl said. "I was being followed and he hid me."

Gohan frowned. "What? Who ARE you?!"

"That, I wouldn't worry about. You'd better keep an eye on your girlfriend, Gohan. It's not safe here." With that, the man flew off.

"Oh, no you don't!" Gohan took off after him. Videl, tired of being left behind, followed suit. They sped off after the man, trying to catch up with him. They sped over the tournament area and into the wilderness of the island.

Gohan suddenly dove down, skimmed the ground, then sharply angled his body up, shooting himself directly at the stranger, then formed a ki blast and fired it up at the stranger. He was caught off guard and the blast hit him. He went spiraling out of control and crashed to the ground, taking out a few trees in the process.

Videl grinned as they landed on the grass just a few feet away from the hooded man. "Alright, Gohan! Way to go!"

Shortly after, the others arrived and circled around the man, who was plastered to the ground, his face buried in the brown earth. He pushed himself up and wiped his face with the arm of his robe, grumbling, "Damn . . . forgot how strong he was . . ."

__

Forgot how strong he was? As in Gohan? He must know Gohan, then! Videl looked confused upon hearing his comment, then leapt forward and yanked back his hood. "Kami . . ." _Woah! THREE eyes?!_

"TIEN?!" almost everyone exclaimed in surprise.

Gohan's mouth fell open as Tien stared back sheepishly at him. "What the . . . what are YOU . . . how . . . what the _hell _is going on?!"

__

Looks like I've been found out . . . "Er . . . nice to see you again, too, Gohan. How long has it been? Seven years or so . . .?"

"I KNOW how long it's been! You were working for the other guy the whole time and you didn't tell us? I'm hurt," Gohan kidded.

Tien smiled slightly. "Well, Shin is into a lot of secrecy crap, so I had to promise not to tell you guys. He made me put on this stupid robe the minute I recognized Krillin walking with Juuhachi."

Videl elbowed Gohan in the ribs sharply. He winced. "What?"

"What in the WORLD is going on?!" Videl wanted to know.

Gohan remembered that she hadn't been there for his theory speech. He quickly filled her in, and had to explain what a 'Kai' was. Then he introduced her to Tien.

"Ah, Videl, this is Tien. Tien, this is Videl."

Videl shook Tien's hand. "Thanks for your help back there. But I could've gotten myself out, you know. I didn't need you to step in."

Vegeta snickered and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right," he grumbled sarcastically under his breath.

"Shut up, _Vegetable_," sneered Videl.

Tien chuckled as Vegeta turned red and growled. It took guts to talk back to a hot head like the Saiyan Prince, and it looked as if Videl wasn't the least bit afraid to push back when she was pushed. "I like her, Gohan. You keep this one, okay?"

Gohan flushed. " . . .okay."

"Well, Tien," Piccolo began, "it seems that you have a lot of explaining to do. Gohan and I have already figured out most of it, but there are still some things that need to be cleared up."

"I believe I can help with that."

They all turned around to see Shin, Kibito and Pikkon landing on the grass behind them. Shin stepped forward and eyed Gohan carefully. "I'll assume that you already know who I am and I suppose you'd like to know why I had Tien keep his identity a secret."

Gohan nodded.

Shin glanced over at Goku, who looked anxious to reacquaint himself with his old buddy, and said, "Just incase the enemy found out who I was, I didn't want them to know that they were severely outnumbered with me, Kibito, Pikkon and Tien, PLUS all of you. I'm sure they would've fled."

"Seems reasonable enough," Mirai Trunks said, receiving a glare from his father.

"I demand the know what exactly is going on here!" Vegeta shouted. "I'm not taking that half-ass explanation!"

Piccolo sent him a scathing glare for disrespecting the Supreme Kai. "Watch your mouth, Vegeta."

"Go to hell, Namek."

Shin looked slightly amused. The he turned to Goku and said, "I'm sure you all would be interested to know that the two Saiyans at the tournament aren't who you think they are. One is the very man we've been looking for- Prince Rattai."

Everyone looked startled, and Gohan said hesitantly, "You mean, THE prince guy? HERE?"

Shin nodded. "Somehow, he found out that Videl would be at the tournament and came, looking for a chance to take her. I, on the other hand, came to look for strong allies, not expecting him to appear at a human martial arts tournament. But I must say, this has made things a little more convenient, and I'm sure with all of your help, we can successfully defeat the enemy."

"Convenient?" Videl asked suspiciously. "How so?"

Shin did not reply, but glanced over his shoulder at Kibito. He then turned his back to the group and stated, "It is time to return to the tournament area. We cannot have the Saiyans getting suspicious, so we should return in small, separate groups."

Videl frowned. She didn't like the way Shin had ignored her, but there was nothing that she could do about it. She was about to go to Gohan's side so that she could fly back with him when Shin spoke up.

"Videl, if you would fly with me, please?" said the little purple man.

Gohan looked worried. "Why do you want her to fly with you?"

"Just something I'd like to discuss in private, that's all. Do not worry- I will return her safely to the hotel."

Gohan was about to protest when Videl went over to the Supreme Kai's side and gave her boyfriend a supportive and reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it Gohan. I'll go back with him. Besides, I'm sure you'd like to catch up with your friend."

He had no choice but to let her go with the Kai. As they flew off, he watched carefully. _What is he planning?_

The group stood around, glancing at each other until Juuhachi grabbed her husband's arm and took to the sky, going in a different direction that Shin and Videl. The others paired up and followed suit.

Gohan joined his father. Goku could read the distress written all over Gohan's face as they flew. He was obviously concerned about what Shin wanted with Videl. "Gohan, I'm sure the Supreme Kai wouldn't do anything to endanger Videl," the older man said in an attempt to calm his son down. "She'll be fine."

" . . . but what does he have to say to her that he couldn't say in front of everyone else? That just doesn't seem right, Dad."

*~*

Videl grew a bit nervous as she flew along side of the Supreme Kai in total silence. She was waiting for him to speak, and so far, he hadn't uttered a single word. _Well, HE'S the one who wanted to talk to me! Why doesn't he say something?!_

"I was just thinking of a way to tell you my idea without getting an overwhelming response," Shin said, grinning a bit.

Videl nearly fell out of the air. "W-what? You can read minds?!"

"Yes, but only when I choose. I didn't mean to pry."

" . . . er, it's okay! What did you want to talk to me about?"

The Kai waited a while, then said, "Kibito, Tien, Pikkon and I have worked very hard, uncovering all information we could about the enemy. There is much we know, but there are things that still remain a mystery . . ." He paused. " . . . like the location of the Saiyan's ship."

Videl looked confused. "Okay . . . what can I do about that?"

"That's where my idea comes into play. You see, I could not speak of it in front of your friends, especially young Gohan, because I knew that he would not allow you to take part in my plan."

__

Hmm . . . this doesn't sound good . . .

"It may be dangerous, but we're desperate now. Rattai is too close, and having him here among us is already perilous to the Cause. Will you at least hear out my idea?"

"I guess . . ." _I wonder just HOW dangerous this will be?_

"Good. On the last night of the tournament, after the finals, I want you to _let _yourself by Rattai and his companion."

"WHAT?! YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?!!"

Shin winced. "I knew I'd get this reaction . . ."

"You weren't kidding when you said _dangerous_! Kami . . . you just want me to go with them? Why?"

"He and his friend will fly off, leaving us to follow. That way, we'll determine the exact location of the space ship. We'll be able to launch an attack."

"What about ME?" Videl moaned. "If I say yes, and agree to this whole thing, what will happen to me?"

"I will make sure that you are rescued and put in a safe place. Look at it this way- we'll be following you closely, so the prince would not have time to do anything with you."

Videl nibbled on her bottom lip. They were nearing the tournament area, and she was anxious to get back to Gohan. _Shin was right . . . Gohan **wouldn't** let me do anything like that! _"I don't know . . ."

"You do not have to make your decision now. You may think on it, but I will need to know your answer before the day of the finals."

That didn't leave Videl much time to think. She would have to think long and hard on the issue, and contemplate every possible consequence. "I'll let you know."

They landed just outside of the high walls separating the tournament area from the wilderness of the island. Shin led her around the wall to an entrance guarded by a monk. Once there, he turned to Videl.

"I will go in first. Come in a few minutes after me and proceed directly to the hotel. I will be watching you." Shin turned and left, stepping past the monk.

Videl sighed and stared down at the ground. Shin's plan was crazy, risky, and was bound to send Gohan flying off the edge. But without knowing where the Saiyans were located, how would they ever be able to fight them? They would have to wait for the enemy to come to _them_, which wasn't always the best way to go. It WOULD be handy knowing where they were . . .

__

But what if something goes wrong?

****

Wait a minute, he's the Supreme Kai! Isn't he supposed to be 'all-powerful' or something?

Still . . . something could happen that he hadn't foreseen.

****

But you'll finally be doing something useful for a change. This information could really help our guys win this thing!

Videl sighed in frustration. She entered the Tenkaichi area and proceeded directly to the hotel, occasionally glancing around for Shin, who'd said he'd be 'watching her'. She almost snorted as she didn't see any sign of him, then thought that he was probably using some of his Supreme Kai special powers or whatever.

When she got to the hotel and went up to her room, she hadn't expected to find Erasa and Sharpner lounging in the fancy room, pigging out on food (from room service, as neither of them would know how to boil water in the room's kitchenette) and watching tv. They looked up when she entered.

"Guys . . . what a surprise! How did you get in here?"

Sharpner shrugged his shoulders and sat up off of the couch they'd pulled in front of the tv. "We just told some guy we were your friends and he let us right up."

Videl winced. Practically anyone could waltz right into her room without her knowing. _Ouch. Lax security. Gotta do something about that. _"Oh. Um . . ."

Erasa went up to her friend and pulled her into a big hug. "Congratulations! You snagged the hottest guy around, you lucky girl!"

Videl flushed and Sharpner snickered. "I don't see what's so good about that nerd. He obviously cheated with those light thingies and stuff. I bet, since he knows Bulma Briefs, he had her build some crap for him to make him fly and shoot stuff out of his hands and change his hair color. It only makes sense."

It was Videl's turn to snicker. "That's where you're wrong. All of it was real. In fact, I can do it too. Well, not that hair thing, but the rest."

The blond girl's eyes widened. "REALLY?! Show me, show me, show me!!"

Videl sighed and levitated up in the air, touching the high ceiling of the room. "There. Happy?" she muttered once her feet were on the ground.

Sharpner looked as if he was going to pass out at any second. "B-b-but that stuff isn't real!! Your Dad said so!"

"Yeah, well, my Dad says a lot of stuff . . ."

Suddenly the door flew open and Gohan rushed in, looking frantic. Once he spotted Videl, he ran over to her and grabbed her up. "You're okay! I thought he was going to do something to you . . ."

"I'm FINE Gohan! You're killing me- let go!"

He looked sheepish. "Um, sorry." Gohan released her. "What did he want with you? I-"

"AHEM." Videl cleared her throat, shooting a glance at Sharp and Erasa, who were looking on with interest. "Later, okay?"

"Er . . . right. Didn't see you two there."

Erasa, as bubbly as ever, said, "Your match was SO COOL, Gohan! All those lights and stuff! Amazing!"

"Uh, thanks. I guess . . ."

Sharpner still looked as if he didn't believe any of it and didn't comment. Erasa winked at Gohan and Videl, then pulled Sharp roughly off of the bed. "We'll . . . leave you two alone! Bye!" She forced the blond boy out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Videl sighed and flopped down on her bed. "What a tiring day . . ."

"You're telling me! I'm exhausted!" Gohan sat next to her on the bed and began to wind a strand of her dark hair around his finger. "So, what did Shin want with you?"

"Not much. Just told me to keep safe, not to go off alone again, blah, blah, blah . . . You get the idea."

Gohan looked thoughtful. "That's all?"

"Yep."

Gohan knew that Videl's story was a little questionable. Why couldn't Shin just tell her that in front of everyone? What was his reason for pulling her aside? "You're SURE? Absolutely sure?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure!"

"Sorry. Just checking . . ."

Videl giggled a bit and kissed Gohan on his lips. "Calm down. Everything's under control!" _Or so I hope._

Gohan smiled a tiny bit, then pulled Videl into his arms, kissing her thoroughly. She sank into him, throwing her arms around his neck while kissing him back. They fell back against the bed and continued to make out.

The door flew open and Bulma, chichi and Goku entered the room. They gapped at the two teens on the bed, who seemed totally oblivious to their entrance, for they were still kissing each other like there was no tomorrow.

Goku ruined the moment by saying loudly, "Don't you two need to come up for air?!"

Gohan let go of Videl in surprise and rolled off of the bed, straightening his clothes. "Er, didn't hear you come in! Sorry . . ."

Chichi grinned in excitement. At this rate, she'd have grandchildren in no time! "It's okay! You two are SOOO cute!!"

Goku glanced at his wife. "Yes, well, that's not why we're here. What did Shin say to you, Videl?" He turned his gaze to the girl sitting on the bed.

She fidgeted underneath his scrutiny. Videl didn't _want _to lie to Goku- he was such a nice guy- but she had promised the Supreme Kai to keep everything to herself. And now, as she sat there nervously, she could tell that Goku was getting a little suspicious under the long period of hesitation. "Um . . . he just wanted to tell me to keep safe! That's all!" she managed to squeak out.

Goku eyed her strangely, then looked mildly disappointed. "That's all? He didn't say anything else?"

"I'm afraid not. Weird, huh?"

" . . . yeah. Really weird."

Videl averted her gaze, looking down at the floor, but she could tell that Gohan's father was still looking at her. _Damn! He knows I'm lying! I bet he does!_

Goku decided to drop the subject, but knew that Videl was hiding something. She was acting jittery, unconsciously rubbing one foot with the other. _Videl probably gave Gohan the same story because he seems okay with it. I wonder what Shin really said to her . . ._

Videl feigned a sigh. "I'm BEAT! Do you think . . . I could take a nap? It's been a long day . . ."

"Of course!" Gohan said quickly. He ushered his mother, Bulma and Goku out of the room, saying, "If you need me, I'll be right next door!" He locked and closed the door behind him softly.

Videl sighed and fell back against the bed, pulling the blankets up to her chin. What was she going to do? She couldn't keep lying to Goku and Gohan the way she did- the older Son was already onto her. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

__

I don't know what to do . . .

*~*

Goku gathered the Z-Fighters, now with Tien and minus Videl, into the room that he and Chichi shared. No one knew quite what he wanted, but when they all got here, they were certain that it was serious. Goku wore a serious look and was pacing a bit around the room.

Vegeta, who'd been the middle of a rather large snack when his woman had pulled him away from the food, glared at Goku. "All right, Kakkarot! What is this about?!"

"Videl," was all he said.

Gohan looked surprised. "Videl? What about her?"

"It's obvious that she was lying to us, Gohan, about what Shin spoke to her about," Goku said. "I want to know what he _really _wanted, and why she felt the need to lie the way she did."

"Now, wait a minute, Dad! What makes you think Videl's lying?" Gohan demanded, sticking up for his girlfriend.

"Come on, Gohan! Her story _was_ a little weak, that Shin just told her to keep safe. You and I both know he could've told her that in front of us." Goku turned to Tien. "Did he mention anything to you that had to do with Videl?"

Tien shook his head. "Not a thing."

Bulma spoke up. "Chichi and I could talk to Videl, try to pry some info out of her or something, if you think it's that serious. But honestly, Goku, I don't really see why you're so worried."

Gohan frowned. "Well, you never know what he could've asked of her. He might be willing to put her in danger. I think . . . I think Dad may be right. Something might be up."

Author's Note: Okay, it's short. Sorry. Now was this better than the last one?

****

ADVERTISEMENT: 'Mala in Se' by Daughter of Chaos. It seems you people pass up the best fics . . . go check it out! And go read C-chan's 'Without You'. Do as I say!!

_ _

NEXT CHAPTER: After a long night of rest, the fighters gear up for the second round of the Tenkaichi. Will Videl make her decision? If she does, why will it be? Will the others figure out Shin's plan?


	29. II The 25th Tenkaichi Budokai: Strange A...

Author's Note: I had fun writing the first part of this because it's all about Goten and Trunks. I just love those two . . . Anyway, this chapter isn't very useful, but it's my way of saying thank you for reviewing and giving me all of the encouragement. It's more funny and fluffy than anything else. No real plot involvement. Anyway, laugh and enjoy.

Oh, yeah, I've finally got my spring break, so I have all of next week off! Expect more chapters sooner.

I don't own DBZ. If I did, I'd be filthy rich, and I wouldn't be using this ten thousand-year-old computer that moves like a snail to type up a fanfiction. 

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Twenty Nine *~*

Strange Afternoon

"Do you think it's safe to go in?"

" . . . I don't know. But we can't stand out here all day . . ."

"I'm scared!"

" . . ."

The two little boys darted into the hotel, ducking behind a large potted planted located in the middle of the lobby. Chibi Trunks looked around, then hissed, "The coast is clear! Let's go!" He grabbed Goten's hand and dashed over to the elevator. Once on it, Trunks pushed the 'close doors' button, not allowing anyone on after them, then hit '24'.

Goten sagged against the wall and moaned, "We're done for, Trunks! We're gonna get it!"

"I don't think so. It's not like we did anything _wrong_. We just entered the adult tournament," Trunks said, trying to calm himself down.

Goten glared at his older friend. "YOU knocked a guy UNCONSCIOUS!!!! If I'd known you did that to get the costume, then I NEVER woulda agreed to enter with you!!"

Trunks looked bit sheepish. "Well, how else was I supposed to get it?!"

"We didn't even get to fight!!" Goten whined.

"Shut up, baka! We don't have to tell them we STOLE the costume!! When they ask where we got it, we'll say from a shop or something."

"WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY!!!!!!! We're gonna die!!!!!!!!"

There was a ding, barely audible over Goten's wailing, and the door slid open. Both boys screamed and Goten latched onto Trunks' waist when they saw Vegeta and Goku standing there in front of them.

"Don't let them take me, Trunks! Don't let them take me!" Goten cried.

There was a pissed look on Vegeta's face, and even Goku looked very serious. Trunks' mind began to whirl, and he did the only thing he could think of.

He hit the 'close doors' button again.

Goten sighed in relief as the doors closed quickly. "It's a good thing that neither my dad or yours knew that you could stop an elevator door from closing by pushing on them," Goten said quietly. "So now what?"

"Er . . . Let's give them a while to cool off. How about we . . . got down? I think there's a buffet on the sixth floor."

"OHHHHHHH, GOODIE! Let ME push the button! Let me push it!"

Trunks rolled his eyes and stepped back. _He's too easy to please._

Goten went up to the pad, trying to remember his numbers. _Ah . . . six is the squiggly thingy . . . This one!! _He punched a button labeled 'G'. [A/N: As in ground level.]

Trunks' right eye began to twitch. "BAKA!!!!!! You didn't even hit the right one!!!!!!!"

"Oh! Let me try again!" This time Goten pushed a button that read 'B2'- unfortunately, his little fist went through the board. "Oops . . ." Goten muttered, removing his hand.

Sparks erupted from the board of buttons, then exploded in a small blast and the lights flickered. Suddenly, everything went black and the elevator jerked to a halt.

"GOTEN YOU IMBECILE!!!!!!!!! Now we're stuck!!!!!!" Trunks exclaimed, realizing that Goten had broken the emergency intercom as well.

Goten looked around, but couldn't see his friend. He held a hand in front of his face, but didn't even see that. "Trunks . . . I'm afraid of the dark! Hold me!" He began to grab at Trunks.

The older boy tried to swat his hands away. "Get AWAY from me, you cry baby!"

"Pu-leeeeeease, Trunks! What if . . ." Goten sniffled. "What if the Boogie Monster is out there?! Gohan told me about him . . . how he hides in the dark and eats BAD little kids like us . . ."

"Shut up! There's no Boogie Monster, especially in an elevator, and Gohan probably told you that so you wouldn't be bad!"

* CREEK *

Trunks froze. _There's no such thing as a Boogie Monster . . . right? I mean, it was just light in here a few minutes ago and I didn't see anything . . ._

Goten whimpered. "It's . . . it's . . . it's **_THE BOOGIE MONSTER_**!!!!!!!! WAHHH!!!!!"

There was another creek, then the damaged buttons crackled again, shooting sparks into the air. The boys leapt back and the elevator began to move down again.

Trunks sighed in relief. "Good, we're moving. Some back up thing must've activated itself or something."

Goten sighed too. Soon they would be out of the elevator, in the bright, well-lit hallways of the hotel and stuffing his face full of that delicious, gourmet food . . .

Both boys began to scream as the elevator began to fall faster and faster, until they glued to the ceiling, still screaming their heads off. The baby fat on their faces was flapping backwards, exposing their teeth and gums. They could barely keep their eyes open due to the force. It was like the ride at Disney World, but much, much worse. They weren't strapped in or anything, and it was going way too fast.

"WE'RE GONNA CRASH, WE'RE GONNA CRASH, WE'RE GONNA **_CRASH_**!!!!!!!!" Goten cried over and over again.

Trunks paled. They had to be nearing the lowest floor, and the elevator would probably be smashed to bits. "POWER UP!!!! GOT SUPER!!!!!

They powered up at the same time, but it was all for nothing. Suddenly the elevator stopped and the boys crashed to the floor. Then it lowered itself very slowly, coming to another stop.

Goten sat up and rubbed his head. "Have we stopped . . . for good?"

"I dunno . . . Let's wait."

They sat very still for about ten minutes. Trunks stood up. "Yeah, I think it's okay." Goten got up too. Both stayed powered up to allow them to see in the dark elevator.

"Now what?" Goten whispered.

"Um . . . let's open the door."

"Blast it?"

"NO!! There could be innocent people out there, baka. We'll have to pry it open with our hands. I mean, a few layers of metal shouldn't stand in OUR way, right?"

"Right! Let's do this!"

Goten grabbed the right side of the door and pushed it back with Trunks on the left doing the same. In no time, they had it open and powered down, expecting to be embrace with light. Goten giggled in excitement, the thought of a buffet still fresh in his mind, and peered out of the elevator . . .

Only to come face to face with more darkness.

Unknown to them, they had somehow managed to get down to the basement of the hotel.

"Trunks!" Goten hissed. "This ISN'T the sixth floor!"

Some shuffling came from the other side of room.

"Be quiet! Did you hear that?"

They fell silent.

" . . . she'll say yes. Videl, I can tell, is the type of girl who would do almost anything to be useful."

Goten grabbed Trunks. "Hey, isn't that the voice of the purple guy from the tourney?"

"Oh, yeah! The feminine one!"

"That's well and good, Shin, but," began another voice, "what will we do with Gohan?"

Goten forced back a gasp. The purple guy was planning to do something to his big brother!! What could he have planned? Goten crawled forward to try to hear better, coming in contact with a wall. Trunks followed suit and both leaned against it.

"If you don't mind, Shin," said another new voice, "could you do something about the lights? I don't like this darkness."

Goten and Trunks began to panic. They were going to be caught!!!!

Shin muttered something and light appeared, only surrounding the group speaking to each other. The two boys were safely hid in the darkness. They peaked around the wall to see Shin, Pikkon and Kibito standing around.

"There. Now, as for Gohan, Videl would've already been taken before he found out. I will suggest that she go off by herself, with me watching, of course. She will be taken, I'll follow and contact the others with my mind, telling them to search out my ki and to follow me. They will- the Namek wouldn't dare disobey any order that came from me," Shin replied.

Goten's eyes widened as he misinterpreted the information he'd just heard. They were gonna take Videl!! This was awful! He and Trunks had to somehow get out of the room and back up to his father to tell them what was being secretly conspired right under their noses! But he didn't even know where they were!! By the looks of thing, they were in some sort of storage place, but he couldn't see any possible exits in the dim light.

In other words, they were trapped.

"And you're confident that nothing will go wrong?" asked Kibito, who'd spoken about the lights before.

"There is always the chance that _something _will go wrong. But I do not see what could happen that I have not foreseen."

"We will have to make sure that none of the others find about this plan. I am sure that the majority of them would protest," Pikkon said. "We will have to watch each of them carefully, to see if any have caught on. They are smarter and more observant than they look, especially Goku. He may come off as an idiot and a clueless-"

Goten gasped. His father WAS NOT an IDIOT, nor was he CLUELESS!! What an outrage!!

Pikkon halted in mid-speech. "What was that?"

Trunks glared at his friend. They were going to be found out!

"Well . . . it seems like we have two visitors," Shin said in amusement. "We must get them- I'm sure they'll tell what they've heard."

"RUN GOTEN!!!!!!!!!!!" Trunks yelled, grabbing Goten's hand. He pulled him over to the elevator, ran in and they quickly shoved the doors closed.

"Now what Trunks! We're in more trouble NOW than BEFORE!!" Goten whined.

"Ahh . . ." He looked up, then fired a ki blast at the roof of the elevator. It crumpled to pieces and they both powered up, taking flight, shooting straight up the elevator shoot.

Below them, the elevator door was blasted open and Shin stepped in, glancing up at the fleeing boys. He held his hands up and, using his powers, froze both of them in their places.

"TRUNKS, I'M STUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Goten exclaimed, trying to struggle against his invisible bonds.

"SHUT UP!!! I AM TOO!!!"

Kibito chuckled slightly. "Shall I go get them?"

"Why not."

The pink man floated up and grabbed the boys, placing each under one arm. He went back down and into the basement where Pikkon and Shin were waiting for them. He sat them in front of the Supreme Kai, who released his hold on the two.

"Don't try to run- you won't get far," Shin advised.

Neither boy moved. They were paralyzed in fear.

"Do either of you boys know who I am?" Shin asked, looking at them.

Trunks managed to shake his head. "Ah, no sir! Please don't hurt us!"

Goten just whimpered.

"I won't. I am the Supreme Kai. That's right, Supreme. I am fighting WITH you and your friends, not AGAINST you all. Now, I hope that both of you boys know that what you've just overheard is a very _delicate _situation, and I cannot risk having you two boys speaking to any of your friends about it."

"Y-y-you gonna kill us cuz we know too much?" Goten asked hesitantly.

"I said that I would not hurt you- as long as you keep quiet."

Behind Shin, Kibito snickered. The Supreme Kai wouldn't hurt an innocent kid.

"And, if you two are able to keep yourselves quiet for a while, I think a reward might be a proper sign of my appreciation."

Trunks looked suspicious. "What KIND of reward? Huh?"

"Good question. Hmm . . . Dende is the guardian of this planet, right?"

They both nodded.

"How would you like to have your own place like his Lookout? I can arrange that for you, complete with a senzu bean garden, several training rooms with the best equipment, and a never-ending supply of food. How does that sound?"

"COOL!!!!" they both cried. "We'll be quiet! Not a word will be said!"

"Great. Now, there's a freight elevator in the corner over there. You boys go and take that up."

They dashed away, bubbling with excitement. They were going to have their own lookout!! As they climbed on the freight elevator and began to pull themselves up, they debated on what to call it.

"Goten's Lookout sounds good," said the youngest Son.

"WHAT?! No way! Trunks' Lookout sounds WAY better!"

"No it DOESN'T!!"

"Yes, it DOES!!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"N . . . hey Trunks?"

"What is it, Goten?"

"We're gonna have to pull ourselves up twenty something floors."

" . . . your point is?"

"Why are we doing this?! Let's just fly up!"

" . . . oh, yeah! Haha!"

They took to the air, letting the wooden 'elevator' fall to the floor below.

"Hey, Trunks."

"What NOW, Goten?"

"The Lookout is **not** gonna be called your stupid idea."

"Yes, it will."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"I SAID NO!"

"AND I SAID YES!"

"I SAID . . . WAIT! I got an idea!"

"What?"

"How about Super Saiyan Lookout?!"

" . . . COOL!! WE ROCK!!"

"YEAH!!"

The two used little numbers printed on the back of doors that would open for the freight elevator and quickly located the 24th floor. They pushed open the door and entered the bright hallway.

Goten winced at the lights. "Now what?"

"Well . . . after THAT, I THINK we can face our parents. Let's go find them."

They went to Goten's father's room since it was the closest and were surprised to find almost all of their friends there, except Videl, Vegeta and Goku.

Chichi sent them a look. "Where have you boys been?" she demanded angrily. Bulma shook her finger at them. "Yes, and what were you boys doing in that costume?"

Goten glanced at Trunks, who gave him a tiny nod. Suddenly, both boys broke down into 'tears'.

"We just wanted to have fun!!" Goten cried. "We didn't MEAN to be trouble, Ma!"

"Yeah!" Trunks added. "We learned our lesson! Please don't let our dads beat us up!! They looked so MAD earlier!!"

Chichi frowned and scooped up her little boy. "Shhhh, Goten! Goku isn't angry with you! Vegeta isn't either . . . I think."

Trunks stopped his crocodile tears. "What? Dad looked mad earlier."

"What? Oh! He was upset that he had to go look for Shin or something. I think they were going to spy on him," Bulma said.

Goten grinned. "Shin's d-" He was just about to tell them where the Supreme Kai was.

"LOOKOUT!!!!" Trunks suddenly shouted.

Everyone in the room looked around frantically, ducking to the floor as if they were about to be attacked at any second. Chichi grabbed Goten to her chest and Bulma screamed, ducking under the bed.

"WHERE?!" Gohan screamed, glancing over at the window for any sign of danger, particularly an enemy Saiyan flying towards them from outside. "WHERE'S THE BAD GUY?!"

Trunks sweat dropped and looked sheepish. "I thought . . . I thought I saw a . . . shoot, I don't know."

Bulma stuck her head from underneath the bed. "Is it safe?! Can I come out?"

Krillin helped his wife off of the floor and glared at Trunks. "Yes, Bulma. You can come out now."

She wiggled out, then froze. "Guys . . . I think I'm stuck."

Goten began to giggle. Trunks covered his mouth with his hand.

Chichi set Goten down and rushed over to her friend. "How did you get stuck? You're TINY!"

"AND SO IS THE SPACE BETWEEN THE FLOOR AND THE BED!!!! DAMN IT!! GET ME **OUT**!!!"

Gohan rushed over. "Okay, Bulma! Calm down! I'll lift up the bed, then you crawl out, okay?" He lifted the bed and she scooted out, jumping to her feet. She grabbed Trunks by the ear and screamed, "DON'T YOU **DARE** DO THAT AGAIN, MISTER!!!!!!! THAT WAS NOT FUNNY!!!!"

"OUCH OUCH OUCH!!!!"

*~*

When Videl woke, she glanced over at her clock. It was six o'clock, and she was very hungry. _I wonder if dinner's started yet . . ._

She got out of the bed and washed up quickly, then pulled on a nice sundress and a pair of comfortable sandals. Videl exited the room and went next door, knocking softly. The door opened and Chichi grinned back at her. "Well, Videl! You're awake and ready for dinner! Come in."

She entered the room to see the Z-Fighters (except Piccolo, who'd flown off somewhere) dressed up in eveningwear, obviously preparing themselves for dinner. Gohan looked very handsome in his crisp white shirt and black slacks. Goku and Tien were wearing similar outfits to Gohan's, while Krillin was dressed in a- GASP- blue pimp-like suit. Even Goten and Trunks were dressed nicely, although they were trying to pry the bow ties away from their necks.

The women were all wearing a dress of some kind- even Juuhachi. Bulma and Chichi looked great in form-fitting gowns.

The only problem was, as she should've expected, was Vegeta. Bulma was trying to squeeze him into his pink tough man shirt, which she claimed, 'brought out his eyes' or some crap. Naturally Vegeta refused.

"I thought I BURNED that shit!" he cried, trying to pull it out of his wife's grasp.

She yanked back. "I bought another one! You look so HANDSOME in it!"

"I WILL **NOT **wear pink!! I refuse!!!"

* **RIP ***

Bulma cried out as the shirt tore in half and everyone laughed. She looked as if she was about to cry. Then she grinned, ran over to a suitcase and pulled out ANOTHER pink shirt. Yamcha, Master Roshi and the Ox King all snickered. "I brought extras!!"

Vegeta growled, snatched the suitcase full of pink shirts off of the bed, including the one in his wife's hand, and flung them out of an open window. "THAT'S what I think of those . . . those . . . ABOMINATIONS!!"

"NOOOO!" Bulma exclaimed, watching in horror as her beloved shirts floated down into a garden below. "Damn you, Vegeta."

He just grinned and pulled on a white shirt. "The Saiyan Prince ALWAYS wins."

Gohan shook his head at the couple's silly debate and went over to Videl, taking her in his arms and kissing her hard. "You look great."

She flushed at his open signs of affection and was well aware that everyone was staring at them. "So do you."

"AWWW!" they echoed from behind them.

"Shut up!" Gohan muttered. He took Videl's arm. "Are we ready?"

They nodded and exited the room, heading down the hall and to the elevator. The little boys squirmed a bit as they passed an elevator door labeled 'OUT OF ORDER' and sighed in relief when none of the adults asked about it.

The group gathered into the elevator, managing to fit everyone (and their big muscles) into the space without much trouble. It was a cramped space, but they would make it. They rode the elevator down to the second floor, where the ballroom was located, with Goten and Trunks clutching their mother's legs as they muttered, "Please don't fall, please don't fall" under their breaths. [A/N: Hmm . . . do you think all of those people would exceed the weight limit? J ]

The Z-Fighter gang made a grand entrance into the ballroom, with Videl and Gohan taking the lead as they descended down the marble stairway arm in arm. Cameras flashed all over the place and people began to whisper, awed by the sheer power that radiated from their spectacular entrance.

A couple of waiters managed to set a few tables together, making enough room for all of them to sit in one place.

Bulma pulled Videl and Gohan aside, telling them that she'd managed to get them a separated table in the corner of the room. It was a semi-circular booth surrounded by candles.

__

Very romantic, Videl thought as she and Gohan sat. He grinned at her over the able and took one of her hands in his.

"I-" he began.

* **Click** *

Gohan paused and looked around. What was that? He shook his head and started again, moving closer to her. "Videl, I-"

* **CLICK CLICK CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK** *

Videl rolled her eyes. She stood up and glared around at all of the reporters. "DO YOU MIND?! We're TRYING to be ROMANTIC over here!!!!!" she shouted a little to loudly.

The dining room immediately quieted down and everyone, even the waiters, looked over at them. Gohan turned six shades of red all at the same time and Videl sat back down, looking very embarrassed.

On the other side of the room, Krillin shouted, "Get 'em, Gohan!! You da man, you playa!!" The whole table began to hoot and cheer. The rest of the ballroom followed suit, clapping too.

Gohan groaned. "ARGH!!!! I'm going to KILL him!!"

Videl giggled. "Don't worry about it, Gohan. He was just kidding!"

"We'll see who's ' just kidding' when I knock his block off . . ."

She grinned and buried her head in his chest, nearly sitting in his lap. Gohan flushed and, despite Videl's previous outburst, cameras everywhere went off. Videl kissed Gohan's jaw, then placed tiny kisses up the side of his face. More camera flashes.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Gohan demanded softly. "Ah . . . not that I'm not enjoying it or anything . . ."

She chuckled seductively and ran her bare leg up his while stroking his hair at the same time. "Gotta give them _something _to put in the papers!"

Across the ballroom, Chichi was practically standing on the table, trying to see why the reporters had flocked over to Gohan and Videl's table. "What are they DOING?! What's going on?!"

Goku stood up and, with his very good vision, saw what they were doing. "I think . . . Videl's kissing Gohan! Yep! Oh, man . . . she's not playing around, either . . ."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow and stood up too. "Damn! She might as well throw him down onto the table here and now!" He turned to Bulma. "Why won't you give ME any of that, woman?!"

Bulma flushed and smacked him on the back of the head, then stood too. "I WISH all of those people would go away! I want to see, too!"

By this time, everyone at the table was trying to get a better look. Mirai Trunks was laughing his head off at Gohan's nervous look, while the little boys were gagging in disgust.

No one noticed as Hercule stepped into the ballroom. He'd been expecting a huge crowd of fans and reporters to crowd him, but got nothing. Everyone was looking at something else. What could be more interesting than HIM?! He stalked over to the table surrounded by reporters and shoved a few out of the way.

He couldn't believe his eyes! Videl was making out with that scrawny kid she'd taken as her boyfriend! And in front of PEOPLE!! More importantly, the PRESS!!! With CAMERAS and VIDEO CAMERAS!!!!!!!!! He betted than some people in their homes were watching the love-fest RIGHT NOW, and getting off on it.

"VIDEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he roared.

Videl gasped and let go of Gohan. She tried to stand up and move away from him, but forgot her legs were tangled up in his. She ended up toppling into his lap, her skirt riding up her thighs.

The cameras went wild and people hooted.

"YOU GET OFF OF THAT BOY RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!! DO YOU HEAR ME????!!!!!!!!!" Hercule shouted angrily.

Gohan helped his girlfriend up. She was red, and almost purple.

Hercule shooed away the press and turned to his daughter. Before he could say a word, someone pulled him away from the table and up to a podium. It was the coordinator of the Tenkaichi. He cleared his throat into the mic attached to the podium, silencing everyone.

"Welcome to the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai!!!" he exclaimed.

Everyone cheered.

"We've had a very successful- and exciting, I might add- first round!! I'd like to congratulate all of the advancers and wish you good luck tomorrow."

Once again, every clapped.

"And, although Hercule did not advance, I'd still like to have him say a few words. After all, he IS the man who saved the world!"

This got no response from Goku's table, or from Videl and Gohan.

Hercule stepped up to the podium. "Uh, um, yeah! I'd like to say . . ." He couldn't think of any of his usual, cheesy crap to say. He was still angry over Videl's actions. "I'd like to tell the scrawny kid to KEEP HIS HANDS OFF OF MY DAUGHTER!!! OR I'LL BE AFTER YOU!!!"

The crowd gasped and looked over at Videl and Gohan. Videl looked as if she wanted to die, but Gohan just smiled and said, "Will do, sir! But I don't think she can contain herself!"

Everyone chuckled good-naturedly, but Videl smacked him on the back of the head.

"Er . . . with that said, LET'S EAT!!" the coordinator cried.

Waiters entered with big trays full of food. Gohan was practically drooling and was happy that a waiter stopped at his table first.

Goku's table, however, kept being passed by the waiters, probably because of the large amount of people there. This got Vegeta all angry. He shot his death glare at several men who passed.

Goten and Chibi Trunks were also angry. They picked up their forks, banging them on the table and chanted, "WE WANT FOOD!! WE WANT FOOD!!" over and over again.

They were finally served so that the boys would be quiet. M. Trunks winked at them and they grinned back.

As Gohan ate, he was scanning the room for the other Saiyans. They weren't present, and neither were Shin and Kibito, although he hadn't really expected those two to show up. He glanced over at Videl, who was eating her food in silence. She looked deep thought. _I bet Shin DID say something to her. Maybe I can get her to tell me what it was._

Gohan spoke. "Are you okay, Videl? You seem . . . lost in thought."

She blinked several times. "I-I'm fine! Nothing wrong."

"You sure? Because you can tell me anything, right?"

Videl suddenly felt extremely guilty. She didn't like deceiving Gohan and lying to him. _He's so sweet and caring. But I CAN'T tell him! I made a promise- and to the Supreme Kai, of all people! If I break my promise, there's no telling what he'd do! _She gave him a tiny smile. "I'm fine, Gohan. Just fine."

Gohan sat back and eyed her as she averted her gaze. It was obvious that she was not. _Why, Videl? Why won't you tell me what's up?_

Author's Note: I had fun writing this. Did you like it? Unfortunately, we're gonna have to get back to business in the next chapter.

****

ADVERTISING: It's another HP fic, and a Harry/Snape. It has about 300 reviews for like, three chapters, so that should tell you how good it is. It's called 'The Mirror of Maybe' by Midnight Blue. Go read it!

__

NEXT CHAPTER: It's finally time for the second round of the Tenkaichi! The line up: Juuhachi vs. Gohan, Videl vs. Asento, Piccolo vs. Goku, and Vegeta vs. Tien. Who will advance? Has Videl made her decision? Will Goten and Trunks be able to keep their mouths shut, or will they loose the chance to get their very own Lookout J ?


	30. II The 25th Tenkaichi Budokai: Round Two

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long. I was studying to get my permit, which I haven't gotten yet, and, by the looks of things, I will NEVER get. Anyway, here's the next chapter. You'll never guess what's going to happen here . . . hahahahaha!!!!!!!

Oh, yeah!! 10 pages!! Longest in a while- but only because of the rather silly Trunks and Goten scene at the end . . .

I don't own DBZ. Sad, isn't it?

WARNING: Bad words, a little violence, knees, women power, bad Goten and Trunks (you'll see J )

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Thirty *~*

Round Two

The next morning, Videl was still tingling with excitement from the previous night. She and Gohan had a blast, eating, dancing, meeting new people while trying to ignore the death glares being sent their way by Hercule. The two, along with an exhausted Goten and Chibi Trunks, retired earlier than the other fighters to rest up for the next day's fight.

Gohan had insisted on rooming with his girlfriend, now that they knew of the enemy's presence at the Tenkaichi. After going to retrieve some clothing from his room, he took to the couch, almost falling asleep instantly. The night was uneventful, as no surprise attacks of any kind occurred, but Videl was glad to have her boyfriend near anyway.

Videl woke early, having slept a while the day before. She quickly dressed and peeked out of her door to see if anyone else was up and about. She spotted Bulma tiptoeing back to her room, arms stuffed with familiar pink shirts. Videl cleared her throat. "Bulma . . . what are you doing?"

The blue-haired woman looked surprised, then mildly embarrassed. "N-nothing . . ."

"Oh, yeah? What are those in your arms?"

Bulma smiled a bit. "Okay, okay . . . I managed to salvage a few of the shirts from the garden outside of Chichi's room. One quick wash, and they'll be as good as new . . ."

"Uh huh . . ."

"Shh! You never saw me, okay?" Then, looking around suspiciously, she ducked into her own room.

Videl shook her head and closed her door, walking up to the couch where Gohan was sprawled out, sleeping soundly. His arms were flung up over his head, his legs were tangled up in a blanket and his mouth was slightly hanging open, and he was snoring very softly.

__

How cute! Too bad I have to wake him up . . .

Videl pulled the pillow from underneath Gohan's head and smacked him in the face with it. He lurched up, swatting madly at the air.

"Morning, Gohan," she said as sweetly as possible. "How are you?"

He gave her a look. "Sleepy."

"We've got a match today, Gohan! It takes you . . . oh . . . about two hours or so to eat, so you'd better get up now."

"It does _not _take me two hours to eat," he grumbled, getting up.

She just smiled and watched him trudge into the bathroom. Videl sat on the couch, watching some footage of her and Gohan dancing at last night's party on the morning news. She chuckled as the screen switched to her make-out session with Gohan.

It was then that Gohan emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a dark blue gi. Upon seeing what was on the news, he turned bright red. "Jeez, Videl, why are you watching _that_?!"

Videl laughed and turned off the tv. "Ready to go down to breakfast, handsome?"

His face turned even redder as he followed her out of the room. Okay, Gohan had to admit that he _liked_ being affectionate with Videl- giving her a kiss in front of his life-long friends was okay. But sucking face before the whole world? THAT was different. Gohan glanced down at Videl, who was absolutely quiet as they walked down the hallway.

__

I bet she wanted to get her mind off of whatever Shin said to her, so she pulled that little stunt last night. I wonder what he could've said to get her all worked up . . .

They stepped onto an elevator and rode it down to the private buffet area, reserved for fighters only. Goku, Chibi Trunks and Goten where already there, pigging out on pancakes, eggs, bacon and other breakfast foods. The rest of the place was empty- besides Shin standing off in the corner of the room all by himself.
    
    Videl hung back a little as Gohan approached the long buffet table. She could feel the Supreme Kai's gaze locked onto her. She knew what he wanted.

__

I haven't decided yet. Sorry.

****

It's fine. Take your time, and choose wisely. I could really use your help, but there may be other alternatives . . .

Like what?

****

. . .

Videl chuckled slightly. _Don't worry. I'll decide soon._

****

Very well, then.
    
    She felt him remove himself from her mind and watched as he quietly left the room.

Unknown to Videl, Goku and Vegeta, who'd entered the room with Mirai Trunks just as her mental conversation with Shin began, had been watching her carefully as she stared at Shin, even laughing once about nothing.

Vegeta sent Goku a knowing glance, and he nodded back ever so slightly. Goku had been right, Videl and Shin were up to something.

*~*

"Mind communication," Tien said simply. He, Goku, Vegeta, Krillin, Yamcha, M. Trunks and Gohan were sitting separately from the rest of the group. Gohan had reluctantly left his girlfriend's side to join the 'meeting' that Goku had insisted on having. 

"What?" Vegeta demanded.

"From what you and Goku told me about their earlier interaction, and from what I know of Shin, then I'd say they were communicating through their thoughts or something. The Supreme Kai DOES have the ability to do that, you know."

Gohan frowned. Videl was keeping a secret from him? How could she?! He winced slightly, remembering all of the things he'd kept from her. _Yeah, but sill . . . that doesn't make it right! _
    
    "Gohan," Goku said seriously, "You need to talk to Videl. We need to know what's going on."

"I'll talk to her . . . but she's loyal. She may not tell me anything," Gohan admitted.

Vegeta scowled at him. "Look, BOY, she's YOUR woman! You MAKE her talk!"

Krillin nodded. "As much as I hate to admit it, Vegeta may be right about this. Don't let her use her womanly charms on you, Gohan."

Gohan wanted to ask exactly what were 'womanly charms', but just sighed. "I'm not going to hurt her or anything, Vegeta."

M. Trunks spoke up. "Well, no one's asking you to." Vegeta snorted, but he ignored him. "Just tell her you mean business."

"And don't take no for an answer," Yamcha put in.

Gohan raised an eyebrow at Yamcha. "And since when have _you_ been an expert on women?"

Krillin burst out laughing as Yamcha flushed. The others tried to hold back their laughter, but failed. Soon, all of the guys- minus Vegeta, who just rolled his eyes, were hanging all over each other, laughing their heads off.

Gohan grinned and stood up. "Sorry, Yamcha. Look, guys, I've got this all under control. I can do it, okay?"

Krillin snickered. "Yeah, sure Gohan."

"I'm the man, right? That's what you said last night."

At this Vegeta roared with laughter and everyone looked at him as if he were crazy. "The MAN?! Right! Haha!!"

Gohan shook his head and rejoined Videl's side, ignoring Vegeta's continuous howling. She glanced up at him. "What's so funny? You guys have been laughing at something, and us women feel left out."

"Nothing. Nothing at all . . ."

Juuhachi glared at him. "I don't believe that for a second. Krillin's going to get it! You were talking 'business', weren't you?"

The ladies turned and locked their gazes on Gohan. He shifted nervously. "Business? What do you mean?"

The blond woman stood up and leaned very close to him, whispering, "You know what I mean. YESTERDAY'S business."

Gohan chuckled, becoming even more nervous. It seemed that Bulma and Chichi had caught on and wanted to know what they'd been talking about, too. Videl just looked confused. 

"What is she talking about Gohan?" Videl demanded. "Are you keeping something from me?"

"Are YOU?" he countered.

The room quieted down, and Gohan was aware that everyone was staring at them. Goku and Vegeta were watching with great interest. He'd caught her there, and she looked pretty scared.

Videl gave him the meanest glare he'd ever seen, surpassing those he'd gotten from Vegeta. She got up out of her chair and pushed him back slightly. "I don't have to answer to you."

"Why not? I thought I meant something to you, Videl!"

"You do! Just . . . just . . . just stay out of my business, okay?!"

Gohan frowned. "NO, that's NOT okay! What's going ON with you?"

Videl looked defeated for a second, then raised her chin. "Nothing. I'm fine, I'm NOT hiding anything, and I DON'T want to talk about it anymore!"

Gohan gave his father a helpless look. Goku nodded. "Keep going," he mouthed.

"Please, Videl, I just want to help. Talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"You're obviously strung up about SOMETHING, or you wouldn't have caught an attitude with me. You haven't been this way in a long time!" 

"We'll talk later."

"But-"

"LATER. We've got to go, or we'll be late." With that, she stormed out of the room.

"Damn," Krillin swore. "She's tougher than I thought!"

"She'll be hard to crack, Gohan," Goku said. "But I think you can do it."

Gohan took off after her, not wanting to hear anymore of their comments. He didn't approach her, but followed her to make sure she was safe. At this rate, with the way things were progressing, he'd loose his girlfriend of less than twenty-four hours. 

*~*

__

You blew it, Videl! They're on to you! You'd better decided what you're going to do- and fast! The sooner you make up your mind, the sooner you can focus on other things, rather than on Shin's plan.

She made her way to the waiting area, noticing that the stadium was already beginning to fill up with spectators. She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning against a nearby wall. _I didn't mean to blow up at Gohan. I should apologize to him. He was right- I AM worked up over this whole thing._

Soon after her arrival, Piccolo flew into the room. He noticed her bleak mood. 
    "What happened?"
    
    "What happened?"

"What happened?"

She jumped slightly, then looked around. _Oh, he's speaking to me . . ._ "Gohan and I had a little fight, that's all."

"Over what?"

" . . . he thinks I'm hiding something from him."

"And are you?"

" . . ."

Piccolo snickered. "I'll take that as a yes."

"It's not going to put him in danger, or any of you, for that matter . . ."

"Let me guess- just yourself."

" . . . how did you know? What's going on?"

He tapped his right ear. "My hearing is exceptional. I over heard you speaking to Shin while you were flying back the other day."

"Oh. So you were spying on us?"

"Sort of. I'm sure he knew I was there, but didn't comment because of my . . . loyalty or whatever. Shin asked you not to speak of his plan to the others, and neither will I. But . . . have you decided?"

"No. But to tell you the truth, I'm thinking about saying yes."

Piccolo chuckled. "I figured that much."

"It's time for me to be useful, you know? I'm not going to be the weak woman who needs saving! I'm going to try to help out as much as I can, and right now, this is the only way I can see . . ."

"I understand."

Just then, Gohan rushed into the room. He hesitated upon seeing Piccolo. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm fighting today, remember? Of course I'd be here," Piccolo said.

Gohan looked a bit sheepish. "Of course! Sorry." He turned to Videl. "C-can we talk?"

"Sure."

He pulled her away from Piccolo. "Videl, I'm REALLY sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to pry. It's just that my Dad and Vegeta and the others think that something's going on."

"It's okay. I should apologize, too. I'm sorry for acting so childish."

"Videl . . . you're not going to tell me what's going on, are you?"

She shook her head. "I can't. I want to, but I can't, Gohan. Please try to understand."

__

Well . . . at least I know that something's up. "Videl . . ."

"Gohan . . . do you trust me?"

He blinked. "W-what?"

"You heard me. _Do you trust me_?"

"Yes! Of course!"

"Then trust me to do what I feel is right. Please. Have a little faith in me, Gohan."

Gohan smiled down at her. _She's right. I need to have faith in her. _"Okay. I won't ask about it anymore. I trust you, Videl."

"Good." 

The others arrived. The fighter's who'd been eliminated the previous day were sitting in the bleachers, with front row seats so that they could catch all of the action. The arrival of Asento did not go unnoticed by the remaining fighters. They ignored him, just as he did to them, and he went off to stand in a corner by himself.

Goku went up to his son. "Did you find anything out?"

Gohan shook his head. "No. And Dad- I can't do it."

"It? What do you mean?"

"I can't force this out of her. I trust her to make her own decisions, and I trust her to choose the best path. She's not stupid, and she can . . . she can take care of herself, as much as I really don't want to acknowledge that."

Goku sighed. "Okay, Gohan. If that's how you feel . . . then we can't make you do anything you don't want to."

"Thanks Dad." _But why . . . WHY do I get the feeling that I'm going to regret this later?_

*~*

"And welcome back, folks!! We're ready to start the second round of the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai!!" cried the announcer. The crowd went wild. "The fighters have arrived, so let's get started! For our first match, we've got Gohan, who dazzled us all with his impressive light show in the first round, and Juuhachi, the lady responsible for taking down Hercule!"

This got some boos from the crowd. Krillin jumped up, glaring at everyone near, shouting, "HEY!! THAT'S MY WIFE YOU'RE BOOING AT!!!! YOU ALL WOULDN'T KNOW REAL TALENT IF IT BIT YOU IN THE A-"

Yamcha shook his head and forced Krillin to sit back down.

Chichi looked smug. "Gohan's got this one, no doubt."

Once again, Krillin got angry. "What's THAT supposed to mean?"

"I'm just saying that Gohan will beat your wife with no problem. There's no way she can compete with a Saiyan, even if he ISN'T a full blood." She rubbed her hands together greedily, money signs forming in her big eyes. "All that money is MINE!! Hahahahaha!"

Everyone around her sweat dropped.

Gohan and Juuhachi came out, walking into the ring. The crowd cheered.

"Now that both fighters are out . . . let's FIGHT!!"

"No going easy on me, boy," Juuhachi snapped.

Gohan grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."

She snickered, then attacked. Gohan was ready, though, and easily defended her punch. After a few minutes of punching and kicking, Juuhachi took it up a notch and took to the air, shooting a ki blast at him. Gohan powered up to SSJ1 and joined her in the air.

Vegeta scoffed. "Weakling. He needed to go Super for HER?"

Goku rolled his eyes. Typical Vegeta response.

Within minutes, Gohan knocked Juuhachi out of the rung with a rather harsh punch, sending her flying to the ground with a loud THUD.

Krillin jumped up out of his seat again, trying to get a better look at his wife. "That boy . . . if he's hurt her, I'll . . ."

Juuhachi climbed out of the crater that had formed from her fall, brushing the dirt off of her clothes. She didn't say a word to anyone, just walked away. 

"And Gohan has won the match! What an amazing kid! Let's give it up for him!" cried the announcer. The crowd cheered louder than they had before.

Gohan blushed slightly at the overwhelming reply he was receiving from the spectators as he joined Videl's side in the waiting area. He glanced down at her, then said softly, "Are you nervous? About your next match, I mean."

"I . . . maybe just a BIT. I mean, if he's . . . you know, then . . . what if he tries to hurt me or something?"

"He wouldn't dare. Not with all of us around. Don't worry- if he tries anything, I'll be out there to help you, okay?"

"Thanks, Gohan. I know I can always count on you." She gave him a kiss.

Vegeta gagged and turned away from the young lovers. "Can't they take that crap somewhere else?"

Goku grinned and nudged him in the ribs, getting a heated look from the older Saiyan. "I don't know, Vegeta. You seemed to be enjoying it last night, if I remember . . ."

"I did not! I enjoying seeing your brat being embarrassed, and that's about it!"

"Whatever, Vegeta . . ."

"Screw you, Kakkarot!"

"Now for our next match!" said the announcer. "We've got newcomer Asento and the beautiful, strong, ever so lovely Videl."

As expected, Vegeta snorted at the description of Gohan's girlfriend.

"Let's get them out here so we can get started!"

Videl reluctantly separated herself from Gohan and walked out, stoping to get a reassuring sqeeze on the shoulder from Goku. She took a deep breath and walked into the ring. Shortly after, asento joined her there, giving her a look that made her skin crawl. _Kami . . . there's NO way I'm going to win this! He's a Saiyan, and he's WAY too strong for me. _

"Scared?" he asked her in a surprisingly soft, but not nice, voice.

She jumped. "What? HELL no! Not of YOU, buddy!"

He chuckled. "Brave. I like that."

"I don't give a damn about what you like. Prepare for a major ass kicking!"

This only caused him to laugh more. The announcer spoke up. "Er . . .is he going to laugh all day . . . or fight?"

Videl attacked and he easily blocked. He advanced, grabbing her arms and pulling her close to his chest. Videl began to struggle against him, but it was no use. He was just too strong. 

"Let me go, freak!" she managed to grunt out.

"You're very beautiful . . ." he said in a husky voice.

__

How. Revolting. Utterly. Revolting! I bet he's getting turned on or something . . . YUCK!! She struggled against his grasp and, this time, he let her go. She backed up from him and collected herself, standing tall. "LOOK, are you going to fight me, or what?"

"If you want it that way . . ."

He punched at her and she ducked, then returned her own blows. They fought back and forth for a while until Videl began to tire. Asento backed her up to the edge of the ring. 

__

Shit. I'm so done for . . .

He grabbed her again and pulled up to him. He grabbed the neck of her shirt and pulled it down slightly, brining his head very close to the crook of her neck. 

Meanwhile, Gohan was going crazy. "STOP THE FIGHT!!!" he was shouting. "STOP!! HE'S ABOUT TO RAPE HER OUT THERE!!!!"

Goku shook his head and pulled backwards on his son's gi. "GOHAN, she's FINE! Calm down, okay?"

Vegeta began to laugh as Asento bent down close to Videl's neck. He knew exactly what was going on! "This is too good! Hahahahaha!!"

Gohan gave Vegeta an angry look. "I don't see what so funny!!!"

Back in the ring, Videl was tired of having this JERK sniffing around her neck, and she DID NOT want to be so close to him anymore. _Videl, old girl, desperate times call for desperate measures. And boy am I desperate right now! _

Videl took a deep breath, brought back her knee . . .

And placed it directly in his crotch. 

Everyone winced as a loud cracking noise echoed throughout the stadium and the crowd went silent. Asento wheezed once, then stumbled around, trying to clear the stars from his eyes. Most of the men in the crowd winced and shook their heads at the man's misfortune.

Videl decided to end it now. She grabbed him and forced him out of the ring as he cradled his damaged privates. She couldn't help but giggle.

Gohan was staring in shock, his mouth hanging open. Goku was trying not to laugh. Tien just muttered, "Damn."

But Vegeta, however, was practically on the floor, howling with laughter. 

"Hahahahaha!"

Gohan winced. "Oh, man . . . that sounded like that hurt."

"Hahahahaha!"

Goku nodded in agreement. "I suppose that's a woman's ultimate secret weapon."

"Hahahahaha!"

"I don't think he's gonna like that, though, Dad. I imagine he'll be furious . . . when he regains consciousness, that is."

"Hahahahaha!"

"Hmm . . . you're right. We're gonna have to keep an extra close watch on her from now on . . ."

"Hahahahaha!" 

"Man . . . I never knew she had it in her . . ." Gohan muttered.

"Hahahahaha!"

"Neither did I . . ."

"Hahaha-"

"VEGETA, WILL YOU STOP THAT INFERNAL RACKET!!!!!!!!" Piccolo demanded loudly. "You laugh like a god damn hyena!!"

Gohan grinned. "It's more like an evil cackle."

Vegeta regained control of himself and watched as several monks came out, dragged Asento onto a stretcher and ran off. He turned to Gohan and sneered, "You better watch out for that knee, boy."

Gohan turned red a tiny bit and glared at Vegeta. 

The announcer cleared his throat. "Ahh . . . I'm afraid . . . by the rules . . . Videl is disqualified, not only for using excessive force, but also for hitting beneath the belt."

The crowd cried out in protest, booing and throwing things all over the place. Chichi jumped up and shouted louder than them all. "YOU GO VIDEL!!!! DON'T TAKE ANY CRAP FROM A MAN!!!!"

Bulma joined Chichi in her cries. Videl smiled up at them and gave them a thumbs up sign to show them that she was alright. Bulma and Chichi's antics got OTHER women around them going on about 'women power', and soon, it spread throughout the whole stadium.

Videl was feeling good about herself at the moment as all of the women stood up and cheered for her. She grabbed the mic out of the announcer's hand and said, "Let this be a lesson to all men! Treat your women RIGHT, or else!! We don't take crap from ANYONE!!!!!"

The female spectators jumped up and began to shout loudly, clapping for Videl. "YOU TELL 'EM GIRL!!!!" someone shouted. 

Goku looked very scared at all of the women going wild at Videl's short speech. "Gohan . . . stop her!! They're gonna riot!!"

"Oh, goody. A female uprising," Vegeta snickered. "Let's sit back and watch as they burn their bras, hmm?"

Gohan just shook his head and ignored Vegeta's remark. Leave it to Videl to pull something like that . . .

The announcer grabbed the mic out of Videl's hand just as a monk ran up to him, whispering in his ear. "Oh . . . uh HUH . . . REALLY . . . WELL, I'VE GOT SOME NEWS TO CHEER ALL OF YOU LADIES UP!!" 

They all quieted down.

"Asento has ALSO been disqualified for . . . ah . . . sexual assault in the ring."

The women cried out, considering it another fight won in the battle for the equality of women. The sound was deafening and the men were getting a little scared as they edged away from any female that happened to be sitting next to them. Videl just laughed as she went back to Gohan's side. Goku looked scared of her, backing away as she walked past. Even Gohan appeared a bit nervous.

"Er . . . Videl, maybe you shouldn't have done that."

She gave him an evil look. "I was supposed to let him feel me up out there?!"

Gohan flushed. "Well, NO, but-"

"Stupid girl. He wasn't 'feeling you up'," Vegeta scoffed. "Now, why in the world would anyone want to do that?"

"Fuck off, Vegetable," Videl replied, rolling her eyes.

He just grinned. "But I DO know what he was doing out there. Would you like to know?"

Gohan sighed. "Cut the crap, Vegeta. Just tell us already."

He thought about it for a second, then said in an overly sweet voice, "Maybe later."

Gohan looked ticked. He was acting like his juvenile self again. 

"Asshole."

"VIDEL!!!"

"Sorry, Gohan." 

Outside, the announcer tried to regain control of his crowd. "Now, now, ladies . . . calm down! We need to start our next match!" Eventually, the crowd was calmed down. "Thank you. Next up, we've got Piccolo and Son Goku. They fought here before and totally destroyed the ring! Now, let's hope they can keep things under control . . ."

Gohan watched anxiously as Goku and Piccolo took to the ring. He was eager to see how this match would go, although he was positive that Goku would win. 

"Now that both men are out, FIGHT!"

Goku walked up to his old friend. "Piccolo . . ."

" . . . what is it, Goku?"

"We need to talk."

Piccolo looked around. "HERE? Of all places, Goku? Odd place for a conversation."

"Sorry. Look . . . I want YOU to win this one, okay?"

"Why? What are you up to?"

"I want Gohan to fight Vegeta. I suppose, since both Videl AND Asento were disqualified, then they'll probably just toss everyone into the ring at the same time and make them duke it out. I don't want it to end up with Vegeta taking his revenge out on me, tiring both of us out, and giving Gohan an easy win. AND you and I both know that Vegeta wouldn't hold back with Gohan, where as I might."

"Probably."

Goku nodded. "Gohan hasn't trained in a long time, besides that intensive period before coming here, but that's about it. I want to see where he is, and I think he'll get a better fight from Vegeta than from his dad." 

"You sure about that? You're stronger than Vegeta, you always have been, always will be. Would he really be a challenge if Gohan has somehow regained his powers?"

Goku grinned. "Judging how strong he is now is the whole purpose of this thing. If Gohan beats Vegeta, then great! He's right where he should be. Besides . . . SOMEONE'S gotta bring Chichi her check!"

Piccolo just shook his head. "And naturally you're counting on Vegeta winning the next match and me loosing tomorrow."

Goku looked sheepish. "Well . . . yeah."

"FINE, Goku. FINE, if THAT'S the way you want it . . ."

Goku rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Good! Now let's get this started."

Gohan was immediately suspicious as his father and Piccolo engaged in a private conversation in the middle of the ring. _What are they planning? I know they're up to something!_

The fight began and, to everyone's surprise and dismay, ended rather quickly. Goku lost just ten minutes into the fight, landing out of the ring. Gohan was stunned, Vegeta was sure there was a conspiracy, Tien couldn't say a word, but Videl clapped excitedly for Piccolo's win. She knew that no one had really expected the Namek to win, and sometimes she liked to root for the underdog.

Gohan looked wounded as he went up to his father. "What HAPPENED?" he moaned. "You LOST!!"

"Yes, Gohan, I'm quite aware of that . . ."

"But . . . I . . . you . . . NO!"

Videl tried to calm Gohan down by rubbing his back. "It's okay, Gohan! It's just a tournament . . ."

Vegeta, as usual, had something to say. "Slacked off in Other World, Kakkarot?"

"No."

"Ahhh . . . you and the green bean are planning something, right? Don't lie, you're terrible at it."

Goku chose not to say anything.

Vegeta was angry. There went his chance to defeat Kakkarot in front of the whole world! Now he had to settle for the Jolly Green Giant and a brat, whining over his father's pathetic defeat. _It's not like the woman NEEDS anymore money . . . what an upset this has all turned out to be. _He sighed. "Come on, three eyes, it's time for me to kick your ass."

Tien rolled his eyes. "I'm not afraid of you anymore, Vegeta. Drop the threatening act."

"Not scared, huh? You should be!"

The announcer called them out and they went into the ring. When he shouted 'fight' Vegeta immediately attacked, taking the offensive. They fought back in forth across the ring.

"You've . . . improved . . ." Vegeta grunted.

"Why . . . was that a . . . complement?"

"Hardly!" Vegeta punched Tien hard in the face, sending him flying into the wall and out of the ring.

"And Vegetable is the winner!! Because of our two disqualified fighters, the matches originally scheduled to be held this afternoon are canceled. Tomorrow, in place of the finals, there will be a battle royal between the remaining fighters- Gohan, Piccolo and Vegetable. We'll see you bright and early tomorrow!"

Gohan wrapped his arm around Videl's waist and led her out of the waiting area. "What a round, huh? Nothing here is going quite the way I expected."

She chuckled. "You got that right. Hey, let's go to the hotel, change and hit the beach?"

Behind them, Goku cried, "What a GREAT idea! I'm gonna go get the others." He ran off, and Tien, Vegeta and Piccolo all went their separate ways.

As they walked back to the hotel, Gohan was suddenly ambushed by a wave of teenaged girls all wearing skimpy outfits. They pushed Videl roughly out of the way and surrounded Gohan, all speaking at the same time.

"You were GREAT in BOTH of your matches!!"

"You look so CUTE in that outfit!"

"OHHHHHHH, look at those muscles!!!"

"And your hair is so PRETTY!!"

"Umm, tall, dark AND handsome!!"

"Take me! I NEED you!!"

Gohan tried to back away, but found himself unable to go anywhere. "Ladies, ladies! Please, I-"

"Can I have your number?!"

"Where do you live?!"

"Can I have your autograph?!"

Videl rolled her eyes. It was just like the girls at school . . . She shoved some of them out of the way and went up to Gohan's side. "He's MINE, got it!! Go away!!!"

The girls looked upset and eventually flocked away. Gohan's eyes grew big and he squeaked as one girl pinched his butt as she walked past. He decided to act as if it hadn't happened- he didn't want Videl to go after the girl and KILL her or something. 

"Bimbos . . ." Videl muttered. "It's not like they didn't KNOW you were taken. I mean, we hooked up in front of the WHOLE world . . ."

"It's nothing Videl. Let's go, okay?"

*~*

Goten and Chibi Trunks were already on the beach way before any of the Z-Fighters arrived. They decided to skip the matches for the day- it was easy to see who was going to win. So the boys took a trip to the beach, instead. Trunks was ogling all of the ladies in skimpy bathing suits while Goten played with a crab he'd found hiding in the sand.

Chibi Trunks was bored, and decided to play a game he'd seen on tv before. Truth or Dare. (Dum dum duuuuum!) "Say, Goten . . ."

"Yeah Trunks?"

"Wanna play a game?"

Goten looked up from his crab. "Okay! What is it?"

"Truth or Dare."

Goten looked scared. "I heard about that game! Only big kids play it, cuz they do icky stuff, like kiss and junk."

"No, Goten! It's NOT a 'big kid game'. In fact . . . little kids made it up!"

"REALLY?"

__

No. "Yep! See, back in the day, when there wasn't no tv or computers or crap like that, little kids had to do SOMETHING. So they made Truth or Dare." _HA!! Look at his face! He's eating this up!_

"Okay! How do you play?"

"Um . . ." _Let's make this FUN . . . _"I'll ask you to do something, and you have to do it, NO MATTER WHAT."

Goten nodded. "Ah . . . where does the truth come in?"

"I don't know! I'll go first. Er . . . let's see . . ." Trunks looked around the beach, which was beginning to fill up now that the Tenkaichi was over for the day. He eyed a woman with a rather big bust covered only in a skimpy red bathing suit sitting on a towel and grinned. "See that woman over there?"

"Yeah."

"See that looooong STRING handing from her top?"

"Yeah . . ."

"Well, be a nice little boy and pull it out for her. Women HATE it when strings hang from their clothes, and they like it when you pull them out for them. And BOY, does she have a problem! I mean, look at how LONG and BIG that string is." _What an idiot!! Haha!!_

"Oh! Hey, I LIKE this game!" Goten got up and approached the woman.

Trunks grinned evilly. _Not as much as I do . . . Mwahahahaha! _

Goten went up behind the woman and eyed her back. There was a long red string tied in a knot there. TWO, in fact. _I think I'll pull both, to be nice. _Goten yanked on the strings and the knot came loose.

The woman screamed and caught her top before it fell off completely. She whirled around, about to slap whoever had pulled off her top. She stared down at a sweet little boy with his finger stuck in his mouth.

"You had a string hangin from your top, lady. I pulled it out for you."

She smiled at him. He was so cute! She put her top back on. "Aww, thank you! Hold on, I've got something for you . . ." She handed him a lollipop and patted his head.

"I'm not supposed to take candy from strangers." He handed it back.

"Is that so? Well, how about I buy you an ice cream?" She called a vendor over and bought him a huge cone. Goten skipped back over to Trunks, happily licking his cone. 

"Wow, that was GREAT!!! She bought me FOOD!!!" 

Trunks' eyebrow twitched. What the hell had just happened? Goten was supposed to get into TROUBLE, not be rewarded! "What? ARGH!!"

"Why don't you do the same thing? You can get some ice cream too!" Goten suggested, finishing off his cone.

"I . . . I think I will." Trunks stood up and eyed the women. _Man . . . I'm taking suggestions from GOTEN of all people . . . the world is coming to an end._

He walked up to a woman and yanked on her bikini top. She, too, screamed and whirled around. Trunks grinned, expecting a reward. She glared at him. "Oh, you think this is FUNNY, huh?" 

"**BRIEFS TRUNKS!!!!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!!!!!!!!**" 

Trunks gulped and turned around, coming face to face with his mother. _Damn! I'm in trouble now! _

"Is this devil YOUR son?!" the woman yelled.

"He's not a devil! And YES, he IS mine!!"

"He pulled off my top!!"

Bulma looked the woman over in distaste. No one called her son names, even if he was a bit . . . Vegeta-like. "Then maybe you should put on some more clothes! No one wants to see your fat anyway!!" Trunks snickered.

"HOW DARE YOU!!!! I-"

"Something wrong here?" A big, dangerous looking man came up and stood next to the half naked woman.

"Yes! This WOMAN is insulting me and her kid tried to get me naked!! OHHH, you're gonna get it now! My husband's gonna give it to you GOOD."

Bulma looked the man over, then yawned. "Is that right? Oh, Vegeta! This man is messing with me!"

Vegeta walked over, looking murderous with his arms crossed over his chest and his meanest glare on his face. He looked the other man over, then chuckled. "THIS TWIG is the problem? I can take him easily."

The woman's husband snarled and was about to advance on him when Vegeta held up his hand and formed a ki blast. The man backed off, remembering them from the tournament. He grabbed his wife and took off.

Bulma gave her husband a sweet smile. "Thank you!" Vegeta grunted and walked off. She turned to Trunks and grabbed his ear. "AS FOR YOU . . ." 

__

Shoot! Damn that Goten! 

*~*

Videl and Gohan were trying not to laugh, as they had witnessed the whole incident from a blanket not too far away. Both had seen Trunks pull on the woman's top and what followed. Trunks looked absolutely petrified as his mother fussed him out with a beach full of people watching.

Goten came over and sat in between the two, shaking his head at Chibi Trunks. "Poor Trunks. When I did it, the nice lady gave me some ice cream. All Trunks got was into trouble."

Gohan gapped at his little brother. "You . . . you pulled a woman's top off?!"

"Yeah. Trunks said that women liked to have little strings that are hanging off of their clothes pulled on."

Videl burst out laughing. "He's . . . rotten! Absolutely, horribly ROTTEN!"

Gohan had to chuckle too. He said to his little brother, "Don't do that again, okay?"

" . . . alright, Gohan. If you say so."

"Good. We don't want you getting into trouble like Trunks, now do we?"

Goten giggled. "NO WAY!!" 

Goku waved at them, shouting, "Hey! We're gonna start up a round of volleyball! Wanna play?"

Gohan glanced over at Videl. She shook her head. "Go on, if you want."

" . . . okay. I won't be far if you need me."

She watched him run down the beach and join his father's side. Goten took off after him. Videl sighed and grabbed a pair of shade from the bag next to her, then dug out some sun tan lotion. She began to apply it onto her arms.

"Hey, babe, need some help with that?"

Videl didn't even have to turn around. "Go to hell, Sharpner."

He frowned and plotted down next to her with Erasa. "How'd you know it was me?"

She wrinkled her noise and slapped some lotion onto her legs. "I can smell your god damn shaving lotion from a mile away, that's how. What are you shaving, anyway? Surely not any hair on your FACE, cuz there isn't any."

Erasa laughed. "Good one."

"Hmm . . ." Videl rolled her eyes.

Sharpner just flicked his hair over his shoulders. "Whatever Videl." He took the lotion from her and squeezed some into his hands. He moved around her back, then rubbed some onto her. 

"Back off, okay?! Jeez . . ." She tried to edge away from him. 

"Stay still, will ya!"

"I SAID-"

"I believe the lady wants you to leave."

Videl looked to her right to see Shin standing there, looking totally out of place in his normal clothes on a beach. _What in the world is he doing here?! _

Erasa and Sharpner looked scared. A purple guy just popped up out of no where!! "Who IS this guy?!" Sharpner demand.

Videl stood up. "Look, guys, I need to talk to him for a second. Could you . . . go away?"

They hesitantly left, glancing over their shoulders at them continuously as they walked away. 

"Thanks," Videl said to the Supreme Kai.

He nodded. "I just thought you'd like to know . . . the two little ones know what we're planning."

"HOW?!"

"By accident, I assure you. But they won't talk, or so I hope. I've bribed them to keep quiet."

"I'll watch them."

"Thank you. Kibito is very worried about this whole ting, with the boys knowing and all. He thinks that it could get out of hand."

Meanwhile, Sharpner was busy making his way up to Gohan. He grabbed the other boy by the shoulders and whirled him around, pointing to where Videl was standing with Shin. "Who IS that guy? What does he want with Videl?"

Gohan didn't answer his questions. He watched as Videl spoke to Shin about something, an array of emotions crossing her face. Then the purple man smiled and shook her hand.

"So you'll do it?" Shin was saying.

" . . . yes. I'll do it."

He took her hand and shook it. "It is agreed, then. Welcome aboard." 

Author's Note: What do you think? I really hadn't expected the whole disqualification thing, but I didn't want Asento to fight against Gohan just yet. That'll come later. Anyway, please review and e-mails are greatly appreciated. 

****

ADVERTISING: I'm afraid I've been neglecting the DBZ area of ff.net, but I think I've found something here! Scars of the Past: The Life Story of Son Gohan by Frozenflower is pretty good.

__

Next Chapter: OH, NO!! Videl said YES!!! Dum dum dum!!! The battle royal is up. Who will win- Vegeta or Gohan? Also . . . Shin's little plan goes into action. Will it be successful or disastrous? 


	31. II The 25th Tenkaichi Budokai: Umm Oo...

Author's Note: * Gets down on her knees * I'm SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know I said Thursday, but I lied . . . not on purpose, though! J I had major writer's block AND a busted computer . . . argh. This might suck, but oh well . . . 

I don't own DBZ.

Another note: I didn't read this over because I was so happy that I finally got it DONE, so excuse any mistakes, especially those closer to the end . . .

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Thirty One *~*

Umm . . . Oops? 

Gohan couldn't sleep. It was five o'clock in the morning, and he was sprawled out on the couch in Videl's hotel room, his eyes wide open. He shifted restlessly, then sat up and ran his hands through his hair with a deep sigh.

The whole thing with Videl was bothering him. He'd seen her shaking hands with Shin on the beach, as if they were sealing some sort of deal. Gohan looked over at her as she slept peacefully on the bed. He was dying to ask her what was going on, but after the whole 'trust me' conversation, he knew that Videl would only get angry with him. But Gohan was very worried about whatever Videl had gotten herself into, and he was loosing sleep because of it. 

Gohan shoved the blankets away from his body and stood up. He crossed the room quietly, walking over to the bed where Videl slept. She didn't look as peaceful as he'd originally thought she would be. A deep frown was etched on her face, and her forehead was wrinkled with lines of worry. She rolled over onto her side and moaned very softly.

Gohan smiled slightly and placed a hand on her cool forehead, then began to stroke her hair. He loved her so much . . . and the thought of her putting herself in any kind of danger scared him to death. If anything happened to her . . .

He glanced over at the clock beside Videl's bed. Five thirty a.m. Had he forgotten his match later that day? With VEGETA, of all people? He SHOULD be asleep, or at least preparing for the day's upcoming event.

Gohan winced inwardly. He knew that the older Saiyan would be out to show him up. If he couldn't beat Kakkarot, then beat the next best thing- his son. _I bet he thinks he has this thing won, since I haven't been training very long. Well, I'll show him, I'll show them all. _

"Gohan? What are you doing?"

He jumped a bit, then looked down. Videl was awake, her eyelids still heavy with sleep. He took his hand off of her head. "Nothing. I was just thinking."

"Hmm . . . this early in the morning? Is something wrong?"

" . . . not really. Don't worry about it."

Her eyes narrowed. "Something IS wrong. Tell me. Is it about the match today?"

__

Why not let her think it's that? "Yeah . . . I don't want to loose. I'll let Mom down." Well, that much was true, but that concern wasn't his main one at the moment.

Videl smiled. "Chichi won't get upset if you loose . . . well, not TOO much. She already has the money from Goten's match, and that should keep her comfortable for a long time."

"You won't be disappointed?"

"No. It'll be fine, although you and I BOTH know that Vegeta will do some major gloating if he does win, and I really don't want to have to put up with that ego for longer than necessary."

Gohan chuckled. "I'm sure no one does. I'll do my best."

"Great. That's all I can ask for."

He gently stroked Videl's cheek and smiled down at her. "You're good to me, Videl. You know that?" 

She grinned back up at Gohan and took his hand, placing a tiny kiss on his palm. "Yes, I know."

Gohan chuckled. "So modest, too . . ."

Videl scooted over, making room for him on the bed. She patted the empty space next to her and said, "Lie down Gohan."

He blinked rapidly, turning pink in the dark. "Videl . . ."

We're just going to _sleep_, not anything else. Calm down."

" . . . okay." He climbed into the bed and pulled Videl close to him. It felt good to have her near, his worries momentarily put to rest, and, within thirty minutes, Gohan drifted off to sleep.

Videl rested her head on Gohan's chest and breathed in deeply. His deep, even breathing told her that he was finally asleep and, as she glanced over at the glowing red numbers on the clock beside her bed, she realized that she had been cutting it a little close. 

It was almost time. 

She got out of the bed, moving slowly as not to wake Gohan, and tiptoed over to the window, her eyes scanning the sky for any sign of her late-night visitor. Videl jumped back a bit as Shin appeared out of thin air in front of the window. She pushed it open and allowed the Supreme Kai to fly into the room.

Shin immediately noticed the presence of Gohan, who was snoring softly in the bed. He turned back to her and raised an eyebrow, a tiny grin appearing on his face.

She blushed and fleetingly wondered if the Supreme Kai had night vision or something. She knew exactly what he was thinking. "It's not like that," Videl said quickly. "Anyway, once he's asleep, he's usually out for good."

"Fine, but I won't take long anyway. We'll have to make our move _tonight_, as I'm sure Asento and his friend will try to do the same. After the final round, during the party held later, you will slip away, hopefully without anyone noticing."

Videl nodded. It made sense. If everyone was busy partying, they wouldn't see her slip away.

"The fountain, the one near the entrance of the stadium . . . do you know which one?"

Videl nodded.

"Good. Kibito and I want you to be there by midnight. I'm sure the prince and his companion will move once they realize that you're alone. Don't worry, though- we will be in the area, watching."

"Okay." 

He smiled slightly. "Are you nervous?"

"Of course! I've never done anything so . . . risky before," replied Videl.

Shin frowned. "Videl . . . you can back out now, if you're having second thoughts." He sent a significant glance over to the bed where Gohan still slept.

She shook her head quickly. "No!" she hissed. "I'll do it, don't worry. You can count on me."

He stared at her for a while, making her a little nervous. "You are very brave, and a good person, Videl. I will do everything within my power make sure that no harm comes to you."

She grinned. High praise from the Supreme Kai! "Thank you so much, Shin. I'll do my best."

"Great. Now sleep- you'll need it." With that, he vanished.

*~*

Gohan woke a few hours later to the wonderful smell of eggs, bacon and pancakes. He sat up, briefly wondering if he was back home with his mother in the kitchen making breakfast. 

Videl, still in her night clothes, suddenly popped out of the kitchenette with a large silver tray in her arms, almost giving Gohan a heart attack. "I've got breakfast for you, Gohan," she nearly sang, walking up to the bed. "Fresh from the buffet down stairs."

__

I must be dreaming . . . He glanced up at her as she place the tray in his lap. _What happened to her get-it-yourself attitude?_ "Videl-" 

She quickly left the room, then came back with food for herself. She sat on the edge of the bed and began to eat.

__

Oookay . . . too weird! "Videl . . . what's this?"

"What does it look like? Food!"

"I _know _it's food, but . . . I don't . . ."

Videl blinked. "What?"

He gestured to the tray. "I really appreciate this Videl, but it's . . . not like you to . . . you know . . ."

She glanced away, then said softly, "I wanted to do something nice for you, that's all."

Gohan frowned. First, she'd been bubbly, and now she looked sad. Something clicked. _Hmm . . . must be her time of the month. I'd better make her feel better, or else . . ._ He began to eat and smile. "Well, thank you. I didn't mean to sound . . . ungrateful."

A shaky, hesitant smile appeared on her face. "It's okay. I've . . . ah . . . I've pressed your gi and cleaned your boots. They're over there by the couch."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. 

"Vegeta was down at the buffet, and he's already gloating that he's going to win. Just though you'd like to know before you see him."

"If he gets _too_ overconfident . . ."

"I know. You could use that to your advantage."

"Yeah."

She quickly ate the small portion on her plate. "Eat up. You can get some work done before that match."

Gohan nodded and finished his food. He got up, grabbed his gi (which smelled like fabric softener) and went into the bathroom. As he dressed, he began to worry about Videl's actions. The food, the gi and the boots . . . _Videl would NEVER iron my clothes for me, OR clean my boots. Weird . . ._

He tied up the gi and ran a hand though his hair, not bothering to try to comb it flat. Gohan left the bathroom and was shocked by what he saw.

Videl was standing there in a short skirt and a spaghetti strap shirt. She'd abandoned her boyish hairstyle and kept her hair down. She cleared her throat, looking mildly uncomfortable. "Um . . . something wrong?"

"NO! I was . . . it's just your _clothes_ . . ."

She looked down at them and said almost shyly, "Do you like it?"

Gohan's mouth fell open. What in the WORLD was going ON?! "I . . . you look great! I was just surprised, that's all . . . Why . . .?"

"I don't know . . . I wanted to look nice for you, that's all."

" . . . oh."

Videl smiled. "Don't just stand there- let's go already!"

*~*

Goten and Trunks followed Gohan and Videl, flying overhead of the two as they walked along the tournament grounds. Both boys were unsure on when Shin's plan was going to go into effect, and were anxious to ask Videl if she knew, so that they could have front row seats when it happened. They were itching for some action, and with a battle brewing, they wanted to be a part of it.

"I bet it's gonna happen tonight," Trunks was saying.

"What? Oh, you mean Shin's plan?" asked Goten. "Really?"

"Well, DUH! It IS the last day of the tournament, before everyone goes back home. What better time to have her kidnapped than NOW?"

Goten frowned. "I don't know about his, Trunks. I mean, Gohan is gonna get REAL MAD when he finds out. And then, once he knows that WE knew the WHOLE TIME about everything, he'll blast us into smithereens!"

"No, he won't! He'll be too busy trying to save Videl to give us a second thought. Besides, by then, we'll already have our secret Lookout, and we can hide out there for a while until he cools down IF he does get angry."

"Sounds good." They noticed Gohan and Videl hopping over a tall brick wall and swooped down to follow them. The two boys figured out where they were going- to the ring. They landed on top of the waiting area and watched as Gohan stepped into the ring and began to warm up.

Goten spotted someone else entering the arena. "Hey, look Trunks! There's your Dad! I bet he came to SPY on Gohan," he hissed.

"Why would MY DAD need to spy in your goofy brother? He's ten times better and stronger than Gohan," Trunks boasted.

"No he isn't! You don't know what you're talking about!"

Trunks snickered. "I THOUGH we already covered this. Your dad's so weak, he couldn't even beat PICCOLO! And I though he was **supposed** to be super strong or something."

"HE IS! He must've been . . . I don't know . . . HUNGRY or whatever."

"No, he's just plain old weak. You know what they say- like father, like son!"

"You take that back!"

"No way!"

Trunks threw a punch, then Goten retaliated, and soon they were rolling around on the roof, punching each other's lights out.

No one on the ground, though, noticed. Gohan was already beginning to spar alone, with Videl watching. She didn't noticed Vegeta standing behind her, watching Gohan, too.

The Saiyan Prince had come to scope out his competition, and was satisfied by what he saw. _There's no way that boy's going to beat ME! I've got this in the bag. _He laughed.

Videl whirled around and glared at Vegeta. "What are you doing here? Go away."

"I'll leave when I want to, girl."

She muttered something under her breath and turned her back to him, giving Gohan her attention once more. Just then, as Trunks tackled Goten, the two boys rolled off of the roof and onto the ground with a big thump. Vegeta spared them a scathing look, then walked away.

Videl went up to the boys. "Are you two alright? What were you doing up there?"

"We're fine," said Trunks, standing up quickly. 

"Yeah," Goten agreed. "And we were just watching Gohan, that's all. We want him to win the tournament."

Trunks glared at his friend. "NO, I want my dad to win!"

"He's not gonna!"

Videl grabbed the back of Trunks' shirt to keep him from attacking. "That's enough, you two. Look, Shin told me that you know about . . . you know."

Trunks looked around suspiciously, to see if anyone was watching. "Yeah, so?"

"I just wanted to make sure you two didn't say anything. Especially YOU, Goten."

The little boy looked hurt. "ME? What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing, nothing! Anyway, we're going to do IT tonight, during the after party, so I need your help to make sure no one follows me, okay?" 

The boys grinned. Now they had a job. "OKAY!"

"Great! Now you two run along and don't get into any trouble."

"We won't Videl!" shouted Goten as he and Trunks took off.

*~*

"He needs to win, Kibito. There's no doubt about it," said Shin as he watched Gohan from above. "Do you understand?"

"To tell you the truth . . . no, sir, I do not," Kibito grumbled. "Why is it so important that the boy wins?"

"I'm assuming that if he looses, he'll want to cling to Videl all night, and that cannot happen. If he wins, however, the others will keep him busy enough for her to get away without anyone noticing."

"Makes sense, I suppose. But that Vegeta doesn't seem like the one who would take defeat when he could have victory. I am not sure just how strong Gohan is, but Vegeta is very powerful, and would most likely take the match," rationalized Kibito.

"That's where WE come in."

*~*

Hours later, Gohan was nervously pacing in the waiting area. People began to fill the stands, anxiously awaiting the start of the final match of the world Tenkaichi Budokai. Vegeta was there, looking a cocky as ever and so was Piccolo. Videl was also there, even though she wasn't fighting. She'd managed to persuade some guy into letting her in so that she could be with Gohan before the match.

"Relax, Gohan," Videl was saying. "It's just a MATCH!" 

Gohan glanced over at Vegeta, who was staring out at the crowd. He took Videl's hand and led her away from the others. "I don't think I'm ready. I can't do this! I'm going to get _creamed_ and-"

"No you're not! You're a hundred times better than Vegeta! Who defeated Cell? YOU!"

"Well, who's been slacking off for the past seven years? ME!!!"

She patted him on the back a little roughly. "Don't worry. You'll be fine."

"I'm gonna get my face bashed in is more like it . . ." he grumbled.

"Don't say things like that, or you WILL." She glanced at her watch. "It's almost time. Are you ready?"

"I guess . . ."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Good. Be sure not to hurt Vegeta TOO much!"

The announcer quieted down the crowd and called for the fighters out to the ring. Gohan let Piccolo and Vegeta go out first, then took a deep breath and followed after them. Videl hung back, watching Gohan as he went.

Behind her, Shin entered the waiting area and went up to Videl's side. "Do you think he will win?"

Startled, Videl jumped. "What? Oh . . . you mean Gohan? To tell you the truth, I don't know . . ."

"I'm not sure how you would feel about this, Videl, but there is something else Kibito and I have planned to ensure Gohan's victory in the match."

"Ensure?"

"Yes. We need him to win, so that he will be kept busy at the celebration tonight."

"Oh . . . you mean rig the match?"

"Well . . . yes."

Videl nibbled on her bottom lip and unconsciously began to finger the chalcedony stone hanging around her neck. [A/N: * Cough * *cough * *AHEM * . . . okay, I'm done!] "Okay. Just . . . don't let Gohan OR Vegeta find out. They'll be pretty upset."

*~*

Gohan nervously eyed Vegeta as they stood in the ring. His opponent was grinning evilly at Gohan. _I bet he's ready to kick my butt . . . _Gohan glanced over at Piccolo and gave Vegeta a stressed look. The Namek looked confused, then caught on, nodding slightly.

"Alright folks," said the announcer, "We've got Vegetable, Piccolo and Son Gohan in the ring for the final battle! This will definitely be an exciting match, so let's get started. FIGHT!!"

Krillin rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Come on, Gohan! I've got a hundred zeni riding on this thing! You better win!"

Juuhachi glared at her husband. "Krillin, what did I tell you about betting?"

"Ah . . . sorry?"

Chichi was on her feet already. "COME ON, GOHAN!!! KICK THAT ARROGANT JACKASS INTO OBLIVION!!! YEAH!!"

Bulma looked insulted. "Oh no you don't!" She got up too and rooted for Vegeta.

Goku just shook his head and sat back. He could see Gohan's nervousness from his seat, and hoped that it wouldn't stop him from doing his best. _He shouldn't be afraid of Vegeta, really. He's just a big 'ol softie. _

Vegeta turned to Piccolo and attacked ruthlessly. Gohan stood back and watched as they fought back and forth across the ring, until they took to the air. He went Super and charged, taking Vegeta off guard. The Prince growled under his breath and charged up, too, and tried to fight off both Gohan and Piccolo at the same time.

"Well, that's smart," observed Mirai Trunks. "Gohan and Piccolo are going to try to take out Vegeta first, then duke it out themselves."

Vegeta was getting angry. HIS plan to get rid of the Namek wasn't going to work if he had to keep an eye out for Kakkarot's brat while fighting off Piccolo. 

He upped his power level and punched Piccolo in the face, knocking him to the ground, then whirled on Gohan and did the same to him. "DO YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT YOU TWO CAN BEAT ME?!!!" he roared. "I'll make your defeat as painful as possible!!" 

Gohan crawled out of the crater that had formed from his impact into the stone floor of the ring and groaned. Vegeta was just about to go to level two, and now Piccolo wouldn't have a chance. 

Vegeta tossed his head back and screamed, beginning his accent to level two. Gohan gritted his teeth and struggled to see through the blinding white light coming from Vegeta's power up. He quickly took to the air, cupping his palms together. "KA . . . ME . . . HA . . .ME . . . HA!!!!!"

Vegeta let out a cry of shock as Gohan's Kamehameha wave hit him dead on. What the HELL?! He hadn't finished his transformation yet! He plummeted to the ground, landing hard on the ring. 

Gohan nodded to Piccolo, then flew up and began to transform to SSJ2. Piccolo, meanwhile, kept Vegeta busy, preventing him from disrupting Gohan's accent.

"ARGH! I'VE HAD **ENOUGH**!!!!" Vegeta howled and sent Piccolo flying backwards. He quickly finished his power up. "I'm coming for YOU, Namek!!"

Shin was watching the fight very carefully, trying to find the right moment to sabotage the fight. He didn't want any of Gohan's companions to be suspicious, so he had to act when Vegeta appeared to be loosing. 

That, however, didn't seem to be happening at the moment. Vegeta was attacking Piccolo with raw determination in his eyes. Gohan swooped in just as Vegeta was about to knock Piccolo out of the ring and punched the short man back.

"YOU BRAT!!! YOU'RE SO DAMN ANNOYING!!!!!" Vegeta exclaimed, a vein throbbing on his forehead. Every time he got close to beating the Namek, Gohan would come in and mess things up. 

Goku admired the way those two were working together against Vegeta. _But I don't think Piccolo can keep this up for much longer. He's going to tire . . ._

Vegeta grinned evilly, then moved with lightning speed that caught Gohan off guard. He ran forward, knocked Gohan to the ground, then grabbed Piccolo. "Say goodnight, Namek." He fired a ki blast right at Piccolo's legs, burning them away into nothing. Vegeta shoved Piccolo out of the ring.

Videl and most of the spectators cried out on horror as Piccolo fell backwards, with stubs for legs. She covered her face with her hands. "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod . . ."

Gohan angrily got to his feet. "You . . . you . . . THAT WAS UNNECESSARY!!"

Vegeta laughed. "You and I both know that he'll be fine, boy. No need to be dramatic."

Videl peeked through her fingers and gasped. Piccolo was moving! What?! He'd just had his legs blown to smithereens and . . . She rushed forward to the Namek's side and the announcer scooted over to them to see what was happening. "Are you alright, Piccolo?"

"I'm . . . fine," he grunted. "I just need some time to re-grow my legs."

"Re . . . grow? You can do that?"

"As long as my head is in tact, then yes. If you could . . . get me over to the waiting area . . ."

"And it appears," said the announcer, "that Piccolo is NOT DEAD! That's right, folks, he'll be just fine! Unfortunately, he DID fall out of the ring, and therefore he is out of the match. So now we have Son Gohan and Vegetable for the title!"

Videl did her best to bring Piccolo over to the area without dragging him on the ground too much. She rested him against the wall, then gave her attention to the match. 

Both fighters in the ring took to the sky and continued fighting there. They traded blows back and forth, until Gohan suddenly upped his attacks. He punched Vegeta in the face, then slammed him down towards the ground.

__

This is my chance. Before Vegeta could stop himself from falling, Shin's eyes flashed briefly as he used one of his Super- Secret- Powers™ on Vegeta, basically turning him as stiff as a board. Vegeta plummeted to the ground, rolling out of the ring with a thud. With his job done, Shin left.

Videl sighed heavily. It was over. 

The Z-Fighters jumped up (especially Krillin, who was happy to have won his bet) and cheered for Gohan. Goku, however, was very suspicious. Something about Gohan's victory didn't seem right . . .

Gohan was just as startled. He landed on the ground and was immediately ambushed by a wave of people. A big band began to play as confetti rained down on them and an unknown person slipped the championship belt to his waist.

"WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION!!! LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR SON GOHAN!!!!"

The crowd cheered loudly. 

Gohan gave everyone the Son Grin™ and waved. He managed to slip away from the people on the ring and went over to Videl.

"Congratulations, Gohan!" she said, although it hurt her a bit to know that his victory was false.

"Thanks." He turned to Piccolo. "You alright?"

"Yep." As if on cue, Piccolo's legs suddenly grew back. He stood up and flexed them a bit. "That's better. Although I AM glad you beat Vegeta . . ."

"What, Piccolo?"

He glanced over at Videl. "Nothing. Never mind."

Gohan frowned. "I don't know . . . it doesn't seem right to me. Vegeta should've been able to stop himself or something. He's a better fighter than that."

"DAMN RIGHT I AM!!!!" Vegeta stormed into the waiting area, followed by Goku, M. Trunks, Krillin, Juuhachi, Tien and Yamcha. Chibi Trunks and Goten quickly followed, anxious to see the drama that was about to unfold. Vegeta shoved Gohan back and shouted angrily, "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!!"

"What do you mean, what happened? You lost!" Gohan retorted.

"Calm down Vegeta," Goku said sternly.

"Fuck you, Kakkarot! Something isn't right, and you know it. We ALL know it!" shouted Vegeta.

__

Uh oh . . . Videl looked around hesitantly. Yes, they all did look a bit suspicious . . . _They can't find out or there'll be hell to pay . . . _"Look, Vegeta," Videl cut in. "Don't get all mad just because you lost. Stop acting like a baby and take your defeat like a man."

Everyone fell silent, except for the two little boys who went, "Ooooohhhhhhh!" 

"LOOK, **BITCH-**"

Gohan saw red. "WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL HER?!!"

"YOU HEARD ME!!"

Gohan growled and reached for the short man's throat while Vegeta drew his hand back and formed a fist.

"Fight, fight, fight!" chanted Goten and Chibi Trunks.

"Gohan, NO!" Videl shouted.

Goku moved forward and grabbed Vegeta's fist, pulling him back. "RELAX, BOTH of you!!"

Videl took hold of Gohan's arm and also pulled him back.

"Now," Goku began, "I'll have to admit that it WAS a little weird the way Vegeta kept falling like that. Let's try to settle this like ADULTS, okay."

"Shin was here," said Piccolo, trying to distract Gohan and Vegeta so that they wouldn't blow each other's heads off. "He was watching the match."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Since we all agreed that he's been fooling around with the matches before, then he could've been doing it now. I didn't notice anything, though, because," Piccolo glared heatedly at Vegeta, "I was too busy concentrating on growing my legs back."

Goku looked thoughtful. "Hmm . . . what about you, Videl? Did you see him do anything suspicious?"

"Not a thing," she said coolly.

Vegeta snorted, shooting daggers at her with his eyes. "Yeah, right. We all know that you and the Supreme Kai are up to something, so it only makes sense for you to cover for him."

"Shut the hell up, Vegeta. You don't know a damn thing."

"Videl!" hissed Gohan. "Watch it."

"I REFUSE to cater to this jerk who can't handle loosing! It's really none of his business WHAT I do!"

Vegeta looked as if he was going to combust at any moment. "Gohan," he said in a very, very scary voice, "I suggest you get a tighter grasp on your mate's mouth before I permanently close it for her."

Once again, the two boys went, "Ohhhhh!" 

Goku turned to Vegeta and said angrily, "Don't threaten her, Vegeta, or you'll have to answer to me."

"I'm not afraid of you, Kakkarot. Bring it on!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" cried Videl. "Look, I don't want to argue anymore with any of you. Just . . . not today, okay? There's nothing we can do, the tournament is already over and Gohan is the winner. If you don't like it, then too bad because you can't do a damn thing to change that." 

Krillin coughed, braking the silence. "Well, I guess SHE told US! How about we go and enjoy the nice party they've set up, hmm? I heard they have free food . . ." He took Juuhachi and quickly left, careful not to look at Gohan, Goku, Vegeta or Videl.

"Um . . . yeah! I'm gone, too," said Yamcha, going after them. 

Tien glanced around, then sighed. "The tension's so thick in here, you could cut it with a knife. I'm out, I'll see you all later when you're not about to blast each other to bits."

Goten looked scared that none of the others were moving. His big brother was still glaring at Vegeta, who was glaring at Gohan AND Videl at the same time while his father glared at Trunks' dad. M. Trunks and Piccolo were making sure that no one went psycho on someone else. "Er . . . Trunks . . . maybe we should leave, too. I'm scared."

Trunks looked around. "You know . . . I . . . think you're right. Let's get outta here!" They took off.

"I don't like being toyed with," Vegeta growled. "I'm going to find Shin and force some answers out of him." He shot the with a ki blast and flew away.

Goku sighed heavily. "Well! You two stay out of Vegeta's way for a while, okay?"

"Sure, Dad. Come on, Videl. Let's go."

*~*

A few hours of partying seemed the calm everyone down a bit, although Vegeta was still no where to be found. There was a huge celebration going on in the hotel's ballroom, with plenty of food, wine, music and dancing. 

Chichi was extremely happy as she sat with Goku, planning what to do with her newly acquired millions. Bulma was a little lonely without her husband, but had promised Videl that she would set him straight whenever he decided to show up. She busied herself by dancing with M. Trunks and a few other men she'd met here and there. The others were enjoying themselves just as much.

Goten and Trunks were re-enacting the previous dramatic events for some other kids in the corner of the ballroom, including the fight scenes that never happened. Goten was getting a kick out of pretending to be Videl, but bleeped out all of her bad words.

Videl and Gohan were dancing slightly apart from the others. They'd already danced eight times, and Gohan couldn't understand why she kept wanting to dance with him. He had half a mind to ask her what was up, but decided that she would probably get mad, and she looked way to cute snuggled up against him.

Videl glanced at her wristwatch and winced. It was eleven fifty, and time for her to leave. She sighed and wrapped her arms tighter around Gohan's waist.

"Er . . . Videl . . . if you squeeze any harder, you're gonna cut off the blood flow," Gohan kidded.

She grinned. "Mmmm . . . sorry. Say, let's go get something to eat."

"But . . . didn't we eat just-"

"Come on!" Videl pulled him over to an empty table and said, "I'll go get us something to eat."

"I can get my own-"

"NO! You stay here, okay?"

Gohan frowned. _There she goes again, acting all weird._ "Umm . . . okay. I mean, if you really wanna . . ."

Videl smiled and lingered for a bit. She leaned forward and gave him a long, thorough kiss. "I love you, Gohan."

His eyes widened. She LOVED him? Their relationship wasn't just some teenaged fling? Before he could reply, Videl turned around and ran off. Gohan, dazed, sat back in his seat. Well. He could always tell her how he felt when she returned . . .

But, ten minutes later, when she didn't return, Gohan began to worry. He got up and scanned the ballroom. He didn't see her anywhere. Gohan wandered over to Trunks and Goten, who had ended their 'drama-feast' and were now playing a card game in the middle of the floor.

"Hey, squirts, have you guys seen Videl? She left about ten minutes ago, and she hadn't come back yet."

Goten nibbled on his bottom lip, then glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall. It was just past midnight. "Oh!" he suddenly cried. "You know what, I bet she went out to get kidnapped like Shin told her to and UMPH!!!"

"GOTEN!!!! YOU **BAKA**!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" exclaimed Trunks, hitting his friend on the back of the head. "There goes our LOOKOUT!!!!!"

"Oops! Oh, man, sorry Trunks!"

"Wait a minute!" shouted Gohan. "She went to do what?!"

Goten took the liberty to explain. "You see, Mr. Shin asked Videl to let herself be kidnapped so that they could discover where the Saiyan space ship is hiding. She agreed, so I guess she went out to the big fountain out front alone."

Gohan's eyebrow began to twitch. Well, NOW it all made sense, why Videl was acting so strangely, or more like so final. "You two . . . knew the whole time?! No, don't answer that, there's no time. But when this is over . . ." he said, drifting off menacingly. 

Trunks gulped. "Er . . . come on, Goten! Let's get outta here!" The two boys took off.

Gohan was pissed. He ran around, gathering any of the Z-Fighters that were available (which turned out to be M. Trunks, Goku, Krillin and Tien- it seemed that Yamcha had found a . . . gasp! . . . woman) and told them what was going on. "Alright, everyone, grab hold of me. We're going to stop this!"

*~*

Videl arrived at the fountain at exactly midnight. She nervously glanced around for any sign of Shin or Kibito. _They must be well hidden . . . _

Videl sat on the edge of the fountain, swinging her legs slightly. Five minutes passed without any action, and she began to wonder if Asento and his buddy were even keeping tabs on her. She fluctuated her ki a bit and waited.

"Thanks for the beacon."

Videl jumped and whirled around. There stood Asento, grinning at her. She couldn't help but a big black, belt like contraption strapped around his waist. _That's not important! Shin, you better be out there watching . . ._

He went up to her and grabbed her wrists. Videl had to make it look real, to prevent Asento from getting suspicious, and began to struggle against him.

That was when things went wrong.

"VIDEL!!!!!! LET HER GO RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!" boomed Gohan's voice from behind them. 

Videl looked over her shoulder. _Well, HELL!! _Most of the Z-Fighters were there, prepared for an all out battle. Gohan was already Super, and it looked as if Goku was just about to follow. "Gohan, no!" she hissed.

Shin, who'd been hiding in a bush slightly away from the group groaned. This was NOT supposed to happen! He jumped up and Kibito followed suit. "Fools! Get out of here!" he shouted, but the damage had already been done.

Asento looked around. The odds did not look good for him- he was almost completely surrounded by the enemy. "So, I've been set up, huh?" he snarled, yanking harshly on Videl's wrist.

"And you're ABOUT to get messed up," growled Gohan as he clenched his hands into a fist, "if you don't let her go."

"You think you've got me trapped? Hardly." He reached into his pocket and pulled out something that looked like a remote control and pushed a bright red button, pulling Videl closer to him. They began to faze out, then disappeared completely.

Author's Note: Uh oh. Videl's been kidnapped AGAIN, but things are gonna get a little sticky this time. (I promise, she won't get kidnapped anymore after this. SWEAR!) How is Gohan going to save Videl this time? If you're a careful reader (okay, so you don't have to be careful . . . it's pretty obvious . . .), then you might know . . . And NO, don't e-mail me and ask. Not this time! * wink *

Yeah, and I'll try to have the next chapter out sooner . . . sorry!! Now I gotta go make a new outline . . . this is where my old one stopped. J 

ADVERTISING: Here's a few things I've seen that are worth reading: (Lookie! I added links!! I hope they all work . . .) 

1) And illjwamh has done it again! Read The New Adventures of Saiyaman. (Gohan/Videl bits in here.)

2) In the Eyes of a Child by Kaz Valkyrie looks promising. (G/V)

3) Darkness by Exarikun too! (G/V) 

__

Next Chapter: Gohan goes ballistic, Goten and Trunks get chewed out and gee . . . what ever happened to Videl? 


	32. II Finding Videl

Author's Note: This would've been up sooner if I hadn't been busy playing Final Fantasy VIII for the past week. It's my first FF game ever, and I'm hooked. But it's HARD . . . a LOT harder than I thought it would be. Anyway, it's not like it's been three weeks, right? * Wink wink *

Didn't read this over either. Sorry.

Hey, what's all this crap about fanfiction writing becoming illegal? Just because some anime folks from Japan announce that they don't like it doesn't mean it's gonna be outlawed or something. They can't do that. (I don't think.) I'm sure that they have no control whatsoever in the American government, so I'm not really concerned. Besides, imagine all of the protesters marching up to Capitol Hill if they really did! Just for the record, I don't own DBZ either.

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Thirty Two *~*

Finding Videl

The Supreme Kai stared in shock as Asento faded away, taking Videl with him. He squeezed his eyes shut and sighed heavily, searching for Videl's ki. 

He couldn't find any trace of it.

Gohan stared blankly at the spot where Videl had stood just seconds ago. He, too, realized that he could not feel Videl's ki ANYWHERE and snapped. He let out a primal, very scary growl and whirled on the Supreme Kai. He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to calm himself down. "You . . . you . . . this is all your fault!!" he shouted.

Everyone but Goku and the Supreme Kai stepped back out of fear and surprise. 

"You convinced her to do this!!" Gohan roared, loosing control of his rage. As he screamed his lungs out, he began to accent to SSJ2. "She's gone because of YOU!!!!! I'm going to KILL you-!!!!"

"GOHAN!!" Goku cried, grabbing hold of his son tightly before he could attack Shin. "This is the SUPREME KAI you're talking to! I KNOW you're upset, but calm down and watch your mouth!!"

"CALM DOWN????!!!! CALM DOWN?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!" Gohan demanded. He powered up completely, startling Goku and causing his father to loose grip and stumble back. There was a bunch of bright lights, strong winds and ground shaking. Throughout it all, he continued to shout. "VIDEL IS **GONE**AND YOU WANT ME TO **CALM DOWN**?????!!!!!!!!"

Shin raised an eyebrow. _When he gets mad, he GETS MAD . . ._ "Gohan," he said softly, "Gohan, listen to me. I made a promise to Videl, that no harm would come to her, and I plan to stay true to the promise."

Everything slowly settled down and the Z-Fighters took another big, cautious step away from Gohan. His eyes narrowed, but he didn't say a thing. 

"I didn't force her into this. She made her own decision, Gohan, to take part. You have to understand that."

It was quite clear to everyone that Gohan DIDN'T understand. He STILL looked angry, he STILL looked murderous, and no one dared to approach him. "You don't know anything," Gohan rasped out. "You don't care about Videl! You just USED her, and now she's in danger! That freak could rape her, kill her, torture her . . ."

Shin bravely took a step forward. "I understand that, Gohan. But you're wrong, I DO care about Videl. She's a very special person, with a good heart. You two have more in common than you realize." Another step forward. "I will do all I can to save Videl and keep her from harm." Another step forward.

Gohan sized him up and grunted, "Don't get any closer! Stay away from me."

Shin wisely stopped. "Gohan-"

"That's enough!" shouted Goku. "Excuse me, Shin, but Gohan, loosing control IS NOT going to help us find Videl any time soon! So just relax, calm down, and don't do anything rash, okay?"

Gohan turned to his father and pinned a glare on him. Goku looked startled, then gulped. _Ouch. Well, can't say I didn't try . . ._

Suddenly, a barrage of energy blasts came from up above, raining down on Gohan. He roared in surprise and fell to the ground. 

Everyone looked up. Vegeta was hovering overhead, hitting Gohan continuously. "Don't just stand there, Kakkarot!! GET HIM!!!" he shouted as he fired some more.

Gohan eventually shook off the blasts and sped up towards Vegeta to attack him. M. Trunks launched into the air and powered up, followed by Goku. They grabbed Gohan and pulled him back towards the ground. Vegeta circled around the struggling boy, then firmly placed the side of his hand to Gohan's neck, pressing down VERY hard. He stilled, then passed out.

*~*

Goku entered the hotel with Gohan's limp body slung over his shoulder with the others following behind him. Chichi and Bulma, who were pacing around in the lobby, looked up when they come in.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BABY?!!!!!" Chichi shouted, once she'd spotted Gohan. "WHO DID THIS TO HIM?!! WHERE'S VIDEL?!"

"He's just fine, Chichi," Goku reassured her. "Let's take him upstairs to rest, then I'll explain."

Everyone followed Goku up to his hotel room, where he placed Gohan down on the bed. He then explained the night's events to Chichi and Bulma. 

First, Chichi looked horrified, then angry. "What are you all doing to FIND her?! I want her found!!"

"Well do all we can," Shin promised.

"Good." Chichi growled. "Now for MY job . . . those two little boys are in a heap of trouble . . ."

*~*

"You can't take that, Goten!" hissed Trunks, tossing a duffel bag onto the tiny cot reserved for Goten in Chichi's hotel room. "It's way too big, baka!"

Goten pouted and clutched Mr. Snuggles the giant teddy bear to his chest. "Aww, come on, Trunks! I can't sleep without him!!"

"NO!! It'll only slow us down. Hurry up and pack the rest of your stuff." Trunks hesitated. "Oh, and Goten?"

"Yes?"

"Remind me to beat you up later for screwing up our deal with Shin."

"HEY!"

The two little boys had viewed the scene where Videl had been kidnapped for the second time, and figured that, by now, everyone knew that they'd been in on the plan the whole time. Now they were planning to run away, so as not to get blown to bits by a furious Gohan or fussed out by their moms. 

The younger boy quickly shoved some clothes into his bag and checked again to make sure that he hadn't forgotten something. "Okay, I'm done!"

"Alright. Let's go." Trunks pushed open the window and flew out, Goten following him. 

"Say, Trunks . . . how long are we gonna have ta be runaways?" wondered Goten.

"I don't know. Until everyone forgets, I guess."

"Forgets . . . but that could take a while! How are we gonna eat?"

"We're Saiyans, baka. We'll deal!"

"And where do you two think you're going?"

The boys stopped in mid flight and turned around to come face to face with Piccolo. They glanced at each other and gulped. Had Piccolo been there when things went wrong? 

"Let ME handle this," Trunks whispered. "Ah, Mr. Piccolo! We're just . . . out for a late night fly!"

Piccolo looked them over. "What's with the bags?"

"Food!" cried Trunks. "You know us Saiyans . . . always hungry!! Haha!!"

"Yeah . . . right. Anyway, has something been going on? I felt Gohan's ki fly off the charts . . ."

Trunks looked nervous. This was just great. Now, once Piccolo got back to the hotel and spoke with his father and the others, he'd probably tell them that he and Goten had been trying to escape earlier, and then point out the exact direction in which they'd flown . . .

"Oh!" exclaimed Goten. Trunks glared at his friend. 

__

Not AGAIN . . . "Shutupshutupshutup . . ." he hissed. 

"Shin's plan to have Videl kidnapped didn't work- she's with the bad guys right now- so we're runnin' away so Gohan won't knock our blocks off," Goten finished happily.

Trunks slapped Goten on the back of the head. "YOU IDIOT!!! WE'RE RUNNING AWAY!!!! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO **TELL **ANYONE!!!"

" . . . oops . . ."

Piccolo frowned and grabbed the two little Saiyans. "You two better come with me and tell the others _everything_ you know . . ."

"Awww . . ."

Piccolo flew back to the hotel with the two boys still beneath his arms and entered the window from which Trunks and Goten had escaped earlier. Unfortunately, they weren't the only ones there- just about half the gang was already there, discussing their next move. Gohan was lying, still unconscious, on his parent's bed with Chichi hovering over him, making sure that he was still breathing. 

The Namek placed Goten and Trunks onto their feet, and they scurried away into a corner, trying to pretend as if they weren't there.

Goku looked up and smiled in relief. "Piccolo! It's a good thing you showed up. We need some help."

"Goten told me everything that happened," said Piccolo, "so you can skip the explanation." He glanced over at the bed. " . . . I guess he didn't take it very well . . ."

Mirai Trunks snorted. "THAT'S an understatement." 

"We need a plan of action," said Shin quietly. "And soon."

Goku nodded. "Yeah, before he sucks her dry."

Vegeta sighed heavily. "Which, you all should realize, he could be doing at this EXACT MOMENT."

Shin hesitated. "Not . . . exactly . . ."

Piccolo looked suspicious. "What is it now?"

"There are certain . . . limitations to all of this. He cannot drain her completely dry in one sitting, and he cannot absorb her energy right away. He must wait three whole days before he can inject it into himself- there's no way around that," explained the Supreme Kai. "So, assuming that he's drained her by now, we still have some time to find her before he acts."

"Not MUCH time," mumbled M. Trunks.

"The problem is," said Goku, "is that we don't know WHERE to start. We've already tried feeling for her ki, and there's no sign of it anywhere. With no clues, it's going to be hard finding her."

Shin looked over at Gohan, then asked, "Exactly HOW hard did you hit him, Vegeta?"

The Saiyan Prince scowled. "Does it matter?"

"He and Videl are in love, and they may have already formed a bond together. Maybe he could help us find her." Shin walked over to the bed, only to receive a heated glare from Chichi. "It's alright. I won't hurt him." He placed a hand on the boy's forehead. _Gohan . . . Gohan . . . it's time to wake up. Come on, Videl needs you._

Gohan stirred a bit.
__

We need your help finding her. The sooner you wake the better.
    
    His eyes slowly fluttered open. The minute he caught sight of Shin, he growled fiercely. "YOU!! What do YOU want?!!"

Goku spoke up before Gohan could explode again. "Gohan, can you feel Videl's ki?"

Gohan closed his eyes and searched. " . . . no. Not a thing."

Piccolo swore. Things weren't looking good. He couldn't help but feel a bit guilty- after all, he'd know about the plan. But how could any of them have known that things would go wrong?

Gohan groaned and flopped back on the bed, placing a pillow firmly over his face. He didn't feel right without Videl being near, without being able to feel her ki. He already missed her, and began to think back to the good times they'd shared. _The dance . . . teaching her how to use her ki . . . having her live at my place . . . her birthday party . . . her . . . birth . . . day . . . pa . . . par . . ._

He suddenly jumped up off of the bed, flinging the pillow half way across the room, smacking Vegeta in the face with it. THIS could be the solution to their problem . . . they could find Videl _and _the space ship!! 

"BOY, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!!" roared Vegeta angrily.

"I'VE GOT IT!!!!!!!! I'VE GOT IT!!!!!!!" shouted Gohan eagerly, practically jumping up and down. 

Goku looked confused. "Got . . . what?"

"THE SOLUTION!!!!!!! WE CAN SAVE VIDEL **AND **FIND THE SHIP!!!!!!!! IT'S PREFECT!!!!!!!"

M. Trunks raised an eyebrow, getting a little agitated. Did he have to be so damn loud . . .? "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU **TALKING** ABOUT?!!!!!!! TELL US ALREADY!!!!!!!!!"

Gohan settled down and blinked several times. "Huh? Oh, oh, yeah! No need to get mad! I was just remembering something I gave Videl for her birthday."

Vegeta looked ticked. "What in the HELL does any of THAT have to do with THIS?!"

"Wait a minute Vegeta," said Goku. "Hear him out."

"Well," continued Gohan, "like I was saying. I got Videl this . . . this . . . THING for her birthday. A necklace made of some sort of rock . . . now what was it called? Ah . . . that's not important. Anyway, the rock is supposed to be magical. She can contact me through it."

M. Trunks shook his head and sighed heavily. He approached his friend and placed a hand on his forehead. "Are you feeling alright? Maybe Vegeta hit you a little TOO hard. You're saying that Videl can contact you through a _magical rock_? Are you hearing yourself?"

Gohan swatted his hand away. "I know what I'm talking about!"

Vegeta was just about to make a smart mouth comment when Shin spoke up. "Was this rock, by any chance, called chalcedony?"

"Yeah! That's it!"

Shin smiled. "Well, then! Everything is different now!"

Piccolo cleared his throat. "Are you saying that the rock Gohan gave Videl has real magic? It really works?"

"If it's real, then yes. And, assuming that it's real, and that Videl had it on when she was kidnapped, and that she'll think to use it . . ."

"Um . . ." squeaked Goten from the corner. "I think she was wearing it. She had it on this morning, I saw it."

Trunks nodded too. "I saw it too!"

"Now what?" wondered Goku.

"Now we wait."

*~*

When Videl first opened her eyes, the only thing she could see was darkness. She blinked rapidly and looked around. _Damn . . . I can't see a thing! _She waved her hand in front of her face. Nothing.

Videl, with no idea where she was, didn't dare move. What if she happened to roll off of whatever she was lying on (which she assumed was a bed because it was so soft) and just kept . . . falling? She shivered a bit, thinking about what could be out there.

"Hello?" she croaked. "Ah . . . anyone there?"

There was no answer.

__

Well, Videl, either you can sit around here for the rest of eternity, or you can be brave and fell around. She hesitantly stuck her hand out in front of her, secretly hoping that nothing would jump out of the darkness and chomp off her limb. There was nothing in front of her, just air. "Hell . . ." She carefully rolled over, then felt behind her and sighed in relief. 

A wall. 

She sat up, keeping one hand on the wall and scooted over to the edge of the bed. Videl flattened herself against it and reached on hand down. "YES!!"

So there was a floor. 

She climbed down off of the bed and walked along the wall, feeling for a door or a window of some sort. Her fingers felt along the rim of something hanging on the wall, then her body collided with a big object on the floor, and as high as her waist. She stumbled in the dark, her hands clutching onto the thing on the wall to keep her balance. One of her fingers slipped and she hit a button of some sort. 

__

Shit . . . I hope that wasn't the 'self-destruct' button! 

She sighed in relief when nothing appeared to be happening. _Gotta be more careful . . ._ Videl began to move around the tall object on the floor when she stumbled over her own feet and fell forward, onto the object. This time, her hand fell onto several buttons as she tried to keep herself from falling over. _DAMN, DAMN, DAMN!!! _

A faint whizzing sound filled the room, and the thing hanging on the wall was illuminated, it's light filling up the whole place. A few lights on the ceiling came on, too. Videl looked around- she was in a plain old regular room. Okay, maybe not regular. She'd never seen some of the objects in the room before, and everything was painted weird, bright colors and designed with extravagant patterns. She turned back to the thing she'd bumped into. It was some sort of control panel, and the thing on the wall was a big flat screen. 

Her eyes moved to a door on the other side of the room. She was just about to run over to it when a bunch of static appeared on the screen, accompanied by the usual loud noise. "Damn! How do you turn this thing off?!" She began to hit button after button, trying to at least turn down the volume or something. She didn't want anyone to rush into the room and find her. Videl slammed her hands down out of frustration . . . and the door slid open. She gapped for a while, then rushed over to it.

Only to have it close in her face. 

"WHAT THE HELL?!!!" She ran back over to the control panel, glaring down at it. _Think! What buttons did I push?!_ There were symbols all over the panels, written in a different language. _Probably in the Saiyan language. Now, which one say's 'open' . . . this one looks good. _She hit a bright blue button and turned to look at the door. Nothing happened.

BUT, the 'tv' did stop fizzing, and instead of the static, it went totally black. Then, someone's face- a man's- appeared there. He appeared to be a Saiyan, because eof his dark eyes and unusual spiky hair. He also looked very important, as he was dressed in fancy red velvety material. Videl took a step back and gulmped. _Oops . . ._

The man looked her over and frowned. "Who are you? Some whore from earth? What did I tell my brother about whoring around?"

Videl gasped. "HEY!!"

"Well, he has good taste, as always . . ."

Before she could reply, the door slid open behind her and someone stepped in. She whirled around and glared at none other than the great price Rattai himself, dressed in a similar fashion with the guy on the screen. He grinned at her, then looked over at the screen. "Brother? What do you want?"

The other guy looked a bit angry. "What do **I** want? You whore here was the one who contacted me. What do YOU want?"

Rattai sighed. "Nevermind. This is all some big mistake."

"Very well. Anyway, what is taking you so long there? You should've been finished with earth by now."

"I know, but there were some things that I wanted to get first."

The man snorted. "Like the girl?"

"Yes. This girl, believe it or not, will help restore the Saiyan race to it's former glory, my brother! Now that I have her, I can proceed with the purging mission. I should be home in about two months. I suggest you prepare for the ceremony."

Rattai's brother shifted uneasily. "Sure. We are all eagerly awaiting your induction as our king, Rattai."

Videl snickered. From the look on the other guy's face, he was anything BUT eager. _Well, well, well . . . it seems that our prince isn't very popular back home. _

"I'm sure you are." He walked over to the panel and pushed a few buttons. The image of the man disappeared. 

Videl stepped back as Rattai turned around to face her. "Stay away from the controls, do you understand?"

"Whatever. You're not going to get away with this, you know!! They'll find us, and Gohan'll rip you apart!" asserted Videl.

He just laughed. "Really? Gohan . . . that's your . . . what do you earth people call it? Oh, yes, your boyfriend. He's a Saiyan, just like the other men. He won't come to save you."

"W-what?"

"No one can feel your ki, darling. Not inside of this spaceship. You and I both know that he'll need your ki to find you." 

__

Shit . . .

He walked up to her, his boots softly clicking on the floor. "Do you really think he cares for you? If he was a true Saiyan, and if he really cared for you, then he would've bedded and bonded with you by now."

A brief flash of confusion crossed Videl's face, but she wiped it off a second later. She raised her chin. "What makes you think that he hasn't?"

"I know he hasn't bedded you because we Saiyans can smell a virgin a mile away, girl. The scent is very intoxicating to an un-bonded Saiyan male such as myself." 

"Un . . . bonded?"

He nodded and grabbed her arm. "Bonding. The way Saiyan males let others know that a woman belongs to them." He stroked the smooth, flawless skin of her neck. "There's no mark here, so he hasn't claimed you yet, and usually, bonding and bedding come hand in hand. Therefore, he doesn't care for you much."

Videl yanked herself away from him. "Bullshit! Things on earth are different! Sex doesn't equal love, and as for marks, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about, so leave me alone!"

Rattai just snickered.

"He DOES love me, I know it! Just fuck off, asshole!"

He growled and raised an arm to slap her, then decided against it. "No, no, no . . . can't have to future queen marred in any way."

"Future . . . queen?" Oh, hell. 

"I'll leave you to think about that. I must prepare for the energy drain, so I'll be leaving." He went over to the door and it opened automatically for him. Videl huffed in disbelief. "Oh, and don't try escaping. I've got guards right outside the door. Goodnight." He left, the door closing behind him.

Videl wanted to break something. How was she going to get herself out of this one? No one would be able to find her with her ki being somehow masked. Videl began to pace, and her hand unconsciously slid to the place where Rattai had touched her neck. _Eww . . . I don't want his disgusting hands anywhere on me ever again!! Yuck!!_

She froze when she felt the chain around her neck. She pulled the stone from under her shirt and clasped it tightly. _Gohan . . . I miss you . . ._

*~*

"You go up to him!! He's YOUR brother!" hissed Trunks.

Goten looked scared. "NO WAY!!"

The two boys were still huddled in the corner, trying to gather up the courage to beg Gohan for forgivness. Goten's older brother looked very tense as he waited for Videl to contact him. Z-Fighters walked in and out of the room, checking up on Gohan to make sure that he wasn't drving himself crazy over the whole thing. Vegeta, Goku and M. Trunks had decided to stay by Gohan's side until any sort of word arrived. Piccolo flew into the window with Pikkon, the Supreme Kai and Kibito trailing behind.

"Anything yet, Gohan?" asked Shin gently.

"No," he said curtly, staring straight ahead.

Goten gulped. "Uh, uh! I ain't going! He'll blow me to bits!!"

"He wouldn't do that to his own brother, dufus! GO OVER THERE!!" Trunks shoved the younger boy forward. Goten hesiatantly walked over to his brother.

"Er . . . Gohan? Trunks and I are sorry for not saying anything til it was too late." Goten hung his head. "We're really sorry."

Gohan sighed. He couldn't stay mad at his brother for too long. "Ah . . . it's okay squirt. It's not your fault . . . nor Shin's or Videl. I didn't mean to get mad at you, or any of the others."

"C-can I have a hug?"

"Sure."

Goku smiled at the two. _My boys are something else . . ._

Chichi, who'd been standing in the doorway, shook her head. "Goten, don't think you're getting off that easily!! Get over here RIGHT NOW, young man! You too, Trunks!!"

The lavender haired little boy looked at his older self. "Ah, um, which one?"

"DON'T ACT CUTE!!! GET OVER HERE AND TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT LIKE A MAN!!!" Chichi pulled the frying pan from behind her back. 

Goku sank back in his chair and tried to look as if he weren't there. HE wasn't the one in trouble . . . thankfully . . .

Goten wiggled out of his brother's arms and screamed, "RUN TRUNKS!!! RUN!!" They darted out of the window, flying away. Chichi quickly left the room, planning to try to follow them.

Gohan just shook his head. He sat on the bed and cleared his mind. _Come on Videl . . . talk to me!_

Vegeta glared at Goku. "If your hound does anything to my brat, I'll come after you, Kakkarot! You need to keep her on a tighter leash!"

Goku grinned. "Chichi isn't a hound. She's just . . . aggressive."

"If her breasts weren't so big, I'd mistake her for a man by the way she acts and hollers," snickered Vegeta. M. Trunks began to choke and turned bright red. _Oh, kami . . ._

Goku jumped up. "Alright, now you've gone too far, Vegeta! Don't talk about Chichi like that!"

"Guys, shhhhh!!!!" exclaimed Gohan, getting all of their attentions. "I think . . . I think it's Videl!!" _Videl? Videl, are you there?!_

Videl gasped when she heard Gohan's voice in her head. She stared down at the rock in her hand. _Oh, yeah!! This is great!! *~* Gohan, I'm here! *~*_

*~* Videl! Thank Kami!! Are you okay? Are you hurt? *~*

*~* No, I'm fine! But the sooner you come get me, the better! Can you feel my ki now? *~*

*~* . . . YES!! I can!! Okay, hold onto that rock for a little while longer, until I can lock onto your location for sure. I'll tell you when you can let go. *~*

*~* Alright. Hurry. *~*

Author's Note: Here comes Gohan to save the day . . .or will he? I don't know . . . Ask me later . . .

ADVERTISING: 'Deep as You Go' by Klitch. It's a Digimon fic, Ken and Daisuke romance. Er. . . . a little weird, and heavy, but I like it! Give it a try __

NEXT CHAPTER: Gohan and co. are on their way to save Videl and fight off Rattai. SURPRISE ATTACK . . . or not. Will the prince find out that they're coming? (Probably.) Will Gohan be able to defeat him and save Videl? (??????)


	33. II The Battle for Earth: Stage One

Author's Note: This would've been up earlier, but voting for class officers at my school were on Monday, and we're STILL waiting for the results!! Argh, I'm so nervous . . . I think the new class officers will be announced tomorrow. I had some serious competition . . . 

WARNING: Violence, excessive use of bad words and a pathetic fighting scene near the end, not to mention a cliffhanger.

Nope, DBZ isn't mine. The plot is, though.

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Thirty Three *~*

The Battle for Earth: Stage One

"Come on, come on guys!! Hurry up, I know where she is!!" exclaimed Gohan, tying the sash to his gi around his waist. He'd quickly changed into another on- he was sure that there was to be a battle ahead. Once he was done, dashed out of the bathroom and eyed everyone there- Krillin, Goku, M. Trunks, Vegeta, Piccolo, Shin, Kibito, Pikkon, Tien and even Juuhachi. His army was assembled and looked ready to go.

Gohan rubbed his hands together eagerly, planning to use Instant Transmission to get to Videl. "Okay people, grab hold of me and we'll be there in a flash!"

Krillin eyed Gohan then said, "There isn't enough of your skinny self to go around."

Gohan rolled his eyes. "Just-"

A sudden explosion shook the ground, then screams of terror filled the air. _What now?! _Gohan raced over to the window and stuck his head out. 

Great. JUST great.

Rattai's buddy was outside, blowing up parts of the hotel and the tournament grounds. Gohan leapt out of the window and told the others to rescue as many people as they could while he took care of the leftover. 

__

I DON'T have time for this!! Videl needs me!

*~*

Videl sat on the bed, leaning back against the wall while keeping her hand clutched firmly around the stone in her palm. Her hand was underneath the bed sheet, just in case anyone walked into the room and got suspicious about what she was holding. She frowned, then sighed. 

Where were all the big, noisy explosions? Gohan should've been there by now with all of the other fighters, blowing the Saiyan invaders to tiny pieces and rescuing her. But as the minutes passed, there was nothing . . . nothing . . . and more nothing.

Even the great annoying prince himself didn't come in to bother her. _Yeah, I bet he's getting ready to drain me dry. What in the world is taking them so long?!_

Videl squeezed the rock harder and thought. _*~* Gohan!!! Gohan, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!! COME AND GET ME!! *~*_

*~* Videl?! I . . . shit!!! *~*

*~* Gohan?! *~* Shenearly jumped off of the bed. _*~* You . . . you watch your mouth!! You're not allowed to say those words!! Hey, what are you DOING?! *~*_

*~* Fighting someone!! Stop talking to me, alright?! You nearly got my head blown off!! *~*

*~* OH!! Sorry. *~* Videl didn't say anything else and waited for Gohan to contact her again. She began whistling, humming, anything to keep her busy.

Suddenly the door opened and Rattai came in. Videl pretended as if he wasn't there and continued humming leisurely under her breath. All the while, though, her heart was racing from fear of getting caught. Videl's hand clenched the stone harder, and she was sure that underneath the blanket, her fingers were turning white.

"Get up," he ordered. "It's time."

She stared blankly at him as if she didn't understand.

Seeing that she was not about to cooperate, he quickly crossed the room and pulled her off of the bed. Videl made a feeble attempt to stuff the rock into her pocket without the movement being seen, but he grabbed her arm the second she moved it. Her heart began to speed up.

"What's this?" he murmured. "Give it to me."

Videl tried yanking her hand away, but only succeeded in hurting herself. The prince sighed and squeezed on her hand. Videl cried out in pain and involuntarily let go of the stone. _Oh . . . hell!_

He caught it as it slipped out of her hand, then held it up so he could see it better. "A . . . rock? You fought me over a . . . _rock_?"

"Gohan gave me that rock, and it means a lot to me, so give it back!"

"It's a nice little trinket . . . I think I'll hold on to it for a while . . ." He dropped it into his pocket. 

Videl almost screamed in frustration. She could fell the link that had allowed her and Gohan to share thoughts snap, and was unsure if Gohan would be able to find her now. 

She allowed Rattai to drag her out of the room, since there was nothing else that she could do against him. He led her down a long, bright hallway. Several Saiyan men standing outside of various guards ogled Videl as they walked past, only to receive the evil eye from Videl and a warning look from the prince. Eventually he stopped her outside of another door. Videl took note of the keypad there (and which buttons Rattai pressed) before the door opened and he shoved her inside. He came in after her, the door sliding shut behind him.

Videl quickly analyzed her surroundings. This room was similar to the other- no window for Videl to escape put of, a big flat screen on the wall, a control panel and a bed in the corner. There, however, was an absence of the bright colors and weird patterns that she'd seen in the other room. "What's going on?" she demanded. "Why did you move me?"

"You must be prepared." Videl was about to speak when he continued. "How good of a fighter are you, darling?"

Videl frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

He chuckled and went over to the control panel. "It has _everything_ to do with what's going on."

"Speak plainly, okay?"

"This room has the ability to change it's own internal gravitational pull while leaving the area around it unaffected," he stated.

__

No big deal, buddy. The place was just another gravity room.

"By increasing the amount of force put on your body," he continued, "you will have to bring forth some of your energy to stay conscious. Once this occurs, I will be able to take the energy from your body." He began to fiddle with the buttons on the machine. 

Videl felt the weight on her body increase, but she stayed on her feet.

He raised an eyebrow. "No? Well, then, how about this?" He increased the gravity.

Videl sank to her knees, although she felt relatively unaffected by the added pressure. She didn't want him to keep making the pull stronger until she _really_ felt it. She was putting her meager acting skills to the test.

He studied her for a while, then increased it a little more. Now Videl was having a little trouble breathing and moving, but nothin too bad. She twisted her face around into what she hoped was a look of pain. Rattai seemed satisfied- his hand left the controls. 

"I'll be back in a little while. Enjoy." He left.

"Enjoy, my . . ." Videl pushed herself back against the wall and took in deep breaths. What now? She didn't have the stone anymore, and Gohan had probably lost her location.

Out in the hallway, Rattai punched in his secret code, locking the door behind him and then examined the stone. He couldn't find anything suspicious about it, but . . . He turned to the newly stationed guard outside of the gravity chamber and tossed him the stone. "Destroy it." 

*~*

Gohan was pissed. 

Correction, Gohan was _very _pissed.

So pissed that he felt like blowing something up, and _that _wasn't an urge that he got very often.

Videl was gone from his mind, and, along with her, went the location of the ship. He would've racked his brain the moment he felt her disappear, but, unfortunately, he was involved in a heated battle with Rattai's henchman when it had happened.

So when he'd finally decided that he'd had enough of the guy, he finished him off with a swift Kamehameha wave. When the dust and all settled down, he saw that the others were reforming a group not too far away from him. He flew over to them and gave them the news.

"I can't feel her location anymore," he said. 

Vegeta looked angry. "What the hell do you mean, boy?"

"I don't have her exact location, and I need that to use IT. The relative area location is still there . . . but that could span over hundreds and hundreds of miles," explained Gohan impatiently. "We're going to have to fly there now, there's no other way."

Goku frowned. It could take a lot of time to get to their destination, and a lot of time they didn't necessarily have. But, if that was the only plan they had, then . . . "Alright, Gohan, let's get moving then. Lead the way."

From not too far away, two little boys watched as the adults took off, powering up and flying away at breakneck speeds. They emerged from the treetop that they were hiding in and looked at each other.

Goten frowned. "We gotta go help, Trunks. It's . . . well, it's sorta our fault that Videl got took! We didn't tell anyone about it."

"They'll bust us up pretty bad if we go, Goten," said Trunks. "We'll get into trouble _again_ . . ."

"So! That never stopped us before. Besides . . . there'll be a fight!" Goten added. "I'm sure of it, and I don't wanna miss the big battle for earth. This'll probably be the only one we'll get to see!"

Trunks _did _want to see some evil dude get messed up pretty bad . . . by his father in particular, but Gohan would do. Maybe he'd go all berserk and do something awesome. And he didn't want to miss it. "Alright, let's go! But try to lay low, okay?"

"Lay . . . low?"

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Don't attract attention, baka! Come on before they get away!"

"Alright! Battle for earth, here we come!!" 

*~*

Videl was exhausted. Not because of the extra force (well, maybe just a little bit), but because it _had _to be really late at night. After all, she'd left the after party at midnight, then was taken . . . only Kami . . . er, _Dende_ knew how long she'd been in the other room, and she'd been lying on the floor in the gravity room for a little over two hours. She stifled a yawn. 

There was no way that she was going to fall asleep, not when the Calvary could arrive at any second. 

More like, the Calvary _should've been there by now!!!!_

She was getting more and more worried, that something had happened to Gohan and the others, or maybe that they had no idea where she was, or both. And she was worried that the door would slide in at any moment and that Rattai would come forth with the next part of his fiendish plan to drain her of her energy. 

Well, it wasn't as if she could see if it was light outside, or if anyone was flying in from the horizon. There were no freaking windows!! And she couldn't _hear _anything from outside because the walls were as thick and impenetrable as Vegeta's ego.

Her head slumped down to her chest. _Aww, who am I kidding? I'd LOVE to see Vegeta right now, if it would get me out of this hellhole!!_

*~*

Gohan and the others had been flying for hours before his sharp eyes noticed something odd in the distance. At first all he saw was rock, dirt, more rocks and _more _dirt, but then he noticed something out of place. 

A big, green, healthy looking tree growing in the middle of a desert. He stopped in mid air, and the others struggled to keep themselves from colliding into each other.

"What is it, Gohan?" asked Krillin, looking around. "Are we here?"

" . . . I think so. Krillin, you probably can't see it, but there, out there . . ." Gohan pointed, "is a tree. A very nice looking tree. A tree like that doesn't grow out in the desert." 

No one seemed to know what to make if it until Vegeta said, "That's no ordinary tree."

Everyone looked at him.

"Many of the more . . . powerful Saiyan ships used a form of greenery to provide it with extra energy that normal fuel could not provide," explained Vegeta.

"So where's the ship?" asked Piccolo.

Gohan didn't like being left all out in the open and flew forward a bit, then went to hide behind a tall mountain of rock. The others followed, lowering their ki too. 

__

Okay . . .where could this ship be? Underground? Maybe . . . 

Behind them, the sun began to rise, slowly illuminating the area. Well, it didn't really help, because he still didn't see anything but the damn tree. 

Gohan stilled. Something was happening. 

Was that . . . a _person?_ Yes, it seemed that a person had just appeared out of thin air and proceeded to walk up to the tree. A Saiyan, Gohan guessed, by the spiky dark hair. He squinted. The guy remained a fair distance from the tree, and appeared to be inspecting it or something. Once the Saiyan was satisfied, he walked back to the space he'd come from, reached out . . . and then vanished.

"What the hell?" muttered Mirai Trunks.

Goku looked confused. "That man just came out of no where!"

Gohan frowned. There HAD to be a logical explanation to everything. The guy couldn't just disappear, unless the Saiyans had developed some advanced cloaking technology . . . 

"That's _it_!" hissed Gohan. "The ship is invisible! He came out and _went back in_!"

Shin nodded. "Makes sense."

Pikkon edged forward. "Okay, now we're here. What now?"

Vegeta grinned evilly. "An all out assault. We bomb their asses and NO one gets out alive."

Gohan glared at the prince. "I don't . . . wait a minute. That just might work to our advantage . . ."

*~*

Videl's eyes had just fallen shut when a big explosion rocked the ship. She fell over onto her side, her head hitting the floor hard. "Fuck! I'm up now!" she exclaimed, climbing to her feet. "What the hell was that?"

KABOOM!!

Another explosion. She struggled to stay on her feet and ended up hugging the wall for support. 

KABOOM!!! KABOOM!!! BAMBAMBAMBAMBAM **_BOOM_**!!!!!!!

Videl screamed and fell to the floor as the whole room began to shake. She covered her hands and head with her hands and cowered in a corner. The explosions continued, one after another.

"IF THIS IS THE GOD DAMN FUCKING CALVARY, I'M GOING KICK EVERY LAST ONE OF THEIR ASSES . . . **IF I GET OUT ALIVE**!!!!!!!!!!!" 

*~*

"ALRIGHT GUYS!!!" shouted Gohan. "KEEP IT UP!! WE'LL HAVE THIS DONE IN NO TIME!!"

The gang, all spread out, continued blasting away at the general area, trying to make it visible with the debris that was flying up from their attacks, or, if they got lucky, blow the thing that made the ship invisible to pieces. After a few more minutes, Gohan stopped, his breath coming in rapid pants. "STOP!! THAT OUGHT TO DO IT!!"

They all backed off and waited for the smoke to clear. Once it finally did, it was quite obvious that they'd gotten lucky. The ship was now fully visible. The tree, protected by some sort of bubble, sat on a base that extended itself a little from the main part of the ship, a surprisingly small circular chunk of metal.

"Prepare yourselves for battle," said Gohan grimly. "We've got a lot of exterminating to do."

*~*

Videl peeked up from underneath her hands. Was it safe to come out now? She hesitantly got up and looked around. Everything looked to be in order . . . 

Now to get out of the room. 

The room must've been damaged somehow in the barrage of explosions, because the extra gravity was gone. She immediately rushed over to the controls and began attacking the buttons. 

__

Come on, come on . . . I need to get out!!

*~*

Rattai was quite aware of what was going on outside. In fact, in the lowest level of the ship, he was assembling his forces while watching the enemies on a big screen that hang overhead. He turned to his men and said, "These are your targets. Notice the colors on your clothing. Men of the same color will fight the same enemy, and only the one designated to you unless I say otherwise."

The prince glanced back at the screen. "That one . . . the boy . . . no one touches him. He is mine."

*~*

Gohan's eyes narrowed. In the front of the ship, a gate was being let up, and men came rushing out. They immediately took to the air, heading towards the group. 

Gohan caught on quickly as the enemy forces began to separate to fly in different directions. All of the people of the same color were heading towards one of the Z-Fighters, with five or six fighters in each color group. Most of them seemed pretty weak, but being ganged up on was not something easy to deal with alone. "FIRE!!" called Gohan. "GET THEM NOW!!!"

They all shot in different directions, using their strongest ki attacks to blast away the enemies before they reached them. A few managed to get through, but nothing that they couldn't handle. Gohan was just about to go help Krillin fight off two men when something caught his eye.

Rattai was coming out of the gate, dressed in Saiyan armor and ready for battle. Gohan grinned and cracked his knuckles. 

This one was his.

*~*

"DAMN!" Videl slammed her hand down on the controls. It seemed that all of the buttons were fried because none of them did anything. She was frustrated, tired, hungry, scared and she wanted Gohan . . . 

Videl was about to burst into tears (something totally not like her) when the door slid open. She looked up. A big man came into the room, holding a container with a long, wicked looking needle on the end of it. He gave her a look that sent shivers up and down her spine.

She took control of her emotions and backed up. "What are you doing?"

"We got instructions from the prince to take your energy now," said the guy, advancing on her, "while he's out fighting some punks."

__

Punks? Gohan and the others **are** here! Hmm . . . Behind the guy, the door was wide open. _I've got an idea . . ._

The man quickly grabbed her and spun her around, then stabbed the needle deep into her stomach. Videl cried out in pain, almost blanking out from the intensity of it. She hadn't expected it to be _that_ bad. A bright glowing pink light filled the room and the Saiyan's grasp slipped from surprise. 

Doing her best to ignore the pain, Videl took her chance.

*~*

Gohan could hear Videl's scream coming from inside of the ship. He saw red and clenched his fists. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER?!!" he roared, his ki shooting up.

"Only what is necessary," replied Rattai. "That's not important right now, though. How about we get this fight over with already?"

"Bring it on."

*~*

Videl clinched her teeth together and brought her foot up, placing it directly in the Saiyan's crotch. It had worked before . . .

The man grunted and fell to the floor.

And it would work again.

Videl struggled to take deep breaths and pulled the needle out of her body, the pink light dissolving away. She slumped back against the wall to catch her breath. 

But not for long.

The Saiyan was making an attempt to get up again.

Videl swiped up the container and held it by the needle end. She raised it over her head and brought the blunt end down on the man's skull. Again and again until he lay still. She dropped it to the ground and took off, running down the hall.

She stopped to peek around a corner, then dashed down that hall, ducking into an open room when she heard heavy footsteps. Once the coast was clear, she went back out into the hallway. 

__

Either I can run for days and never find an exit or . . . I can create one and get the hell out of here!

She chose the latter.

*~*

"TRUNKS, IT'S STARTING!!! IT'S STARTING!!!" exclaimed Goten as they flew onto the scene. They surveyed the area- the adults seemed to be doing all right, fighting off a few Saiyan warriors. Gohan fighting the prince guy and it looked as if the Big Battle between them had just begun.

"What can we do to help?" wondered Trunks, not wanting to get in the way or cause anymore trouble. 

" . . . Videl!! Where is she?"

"She . . . must be in that ship down there. Come on, we gotta get closer if we're gonna bust her out."

The boys circled around the back of the ship before landing on the ground, ducking behind a group of rocks. "Now what?" asked Goten.

As soon as those words left his mouth, one of the spaceship's windows was blown apart. Videl's face peeked through the whole in the ship, then she pulled herself up and squeezed through it. She plopped ungracefully to the ground.

Goten and Trunks came from behind the rocks and ran over to her side.

She got to her feet and stared at them. "What are you two doing here?!"

"We came to save you," announced Goten with pride. "We're going to keep you safe until Gohan kicks this guy's butt!"

"You two shouldn't be here at all! It's too dangerous!!"

An explosion rocked the ground and all three of them fell over. Videl pulled the two little boys closer to her and covered their heads as dust and rocks began to fly up. 

"That's Gohan!" Goten cried over the noise. "He's powering up!!"

*~*

Gohan was. He was going up to level two already- he didn't want to draw this fight out any longer than necessary. He felt the power flowing throughout his body, felt himself getting stronger and stronger. When his transformation was complete, Rattai began clapping for him with a comical grin on his face.

"So you can go up to level two. But can you do three?"

Gohan was startled. Even Goku and Vegeta, who'd fought off the last of the Saiyans and were now watching the battle, gasped out of surprise. There was a third level?

"You're lying," growled Gohan.

"Oh, no. I'm so close to three, I can taste it. I'm more powerful than you, boy, more powerful than your other people over there. You'll never win. This planet will be reduced to dust and," he grinned evilly, "the girl will be mine." 

Rattai began his accent.

*~*

Videl was tired of all of the explosions and light effects now. She and the boys had been huddled up in the same position for a while now, trying to keep themselves safe from the crazy power ups that had been going on. 

__

That must be Rattai, if the other one was Gohan. This is bad . . . if he's just as strong as, or maybe even stronger than Gohan, we're in trouble.

Things began to settle down and Videl got to her feet. She winced slightly and placed a hand on her stomach where the needle had pierced her skin. "Come on boys. Since we're here, we might as well go see what's going on." 

"ALRIGHT!!"

*~*

Rattai attacked. He was fast, almost too fast for Gohan. As they fought back and forth, he found himself outmatched. Rattai was simply _stronger _than he was. Those years of slaking off were now beginning to show.

On the ground, Videl and the two boys were darting back and forth between piles of rocks, trying to get a better view of the action. Videl froze in place and stood there out in the open, almost crying out when Gohan took a blow to the face, then another and another. 

Goten and Trunks, who'd ducked behind some rocks, hissed at her. "Videl!! Get over here!! He'll see you!!"

She didn't listen, didn't hear them. Rattai punched Gohan hard, sending him flying into the ground, then fired a ki blast at him. Videl stared in horror and waited for the smoke to clear. _Oh, Gohan, please be okay!! Please!!_

When she could finally see, Gohan climbed out of a deep crater and fell to the ground. His face was all bloody and his gi was torn and tattered. 

Videl didn't think and rushed forward over to Gohan's side with one hand clutching her stomach. She fell to her knees beside him and wiped the blood from his cheek with the back of her hand. "Gohan . . . open your eyes . . . come on . . ."

"What is she doing?!" demanded Mirai Trunks. "She's sitting in the middle of a damn battlefield!!"

The others looked a little worried too, but Goku just said, "He won't hurt her. She'll be fine, and so will Gohan, as long as she's out there with him."

From the air, Rattai watched as Videl hovered over Gohan, jealousy flaring up in his chest. What in the world did she want with a weakling like him? Hadn't she JUST SEEN the way he'd beaten him so easily? _Stupid boy . . . _

He frowned. What was wrong with her side? Why was she holding it?

Unless . . . unless she'd been drained of some of her energy. That had to be it.

__

Her energy could very well help me get to level three. Well, well, well . . . I'm going to humiliate that little boy by pulverizing him . . .

"I have a proposition," he announced loudly, catching everyone's attention. "Come back in six days, and I will fight him again."

Vegeta looked suspicious. "What the fuck? What's the catch?"

"Catch? There is none. You can take the girl, the boy, you all can leave, but you must come back in six days. If you don't show up, then I'll find you. I know where you all live."

Goku didn't like the idea. "N-"

"Fine," said Videl firmly. "We'll be back in six days, and Gohan'll be ready by then, I promise you." 

Author's Note: AHHH!!! What is Videl doing?! Sorry about the pathetic fighting scenes, but that's just not my thing . . . or maybe I didn't feel like writing one out. Use your imagination.

ADVERTISING: __

NEXT CHAPTER: What exactly is Videl up to? Now the Z-Fighters have six days to prepare . . . will Gohan be ready? 


	34. II Plan B

Author's Note: Umm . . .yeah! I'll spare you the (valid) excuses and let you get right to it, okay?

No, I don't own DBZ, and no, poor Enchantress did not win her election. Yes, you all can cry for her now.

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Thirty Four *~*

Plan B

Videl watched as Rattai gave her one more look before retreating to his spaceship before returning her attention to Gohan. Once he was gone, she turned to the others and called, "Don't just stand there! I need some help!!"

The others were too surprised to act, all shocked by Videl's sudden decision, but Shin and Kibito moved forward, flying down from their safe spot and onto the ground beside Videl. Kibito instantly fell to Gohan's side, placing his hands on his chest. 

"I don't know if I have enough strength to bring him back to his full power," Kibito forced out as his hands began to glow. "But this should be enough to get him up."

As the pink man did his work, Shin turned to Videl. "Thank you."

"No problem." _Although I know I'm going to get hell for it._

His eyes dropped to the side that she was holding. It was just as he feared- the enemy had gotten some of her energy. Not a lot, it seemed, because she appeared to be just fine. Maybe a bit winded, but that was it. "Would you like Kibito to take a look at that for you?"

Videl shook her head, keeping her gaze locked on her boyfriend's still body. "He's got his hands full with Gohan."

"What the fuck?" demanded Vegeta, his left eye twitching with anger. "What in the world does that onnathink she's doing?! We could've had him!" 

Goku frowned. He was just as confused as Vegeta. "I don't know what's going on. Let's go and see."

Goku led the way over to the small group huddled over Gohan and immediately went over to Videl's side. He put the most serious look he could conjure up on his face before speaking. "What's going on here?"

Videl shifted her weight nervously and avoided his gaze. "Later, okay? I want to make sure Gohan's alright."

"Look, girl," sneered Vegeta. "I've had it with you! Don't you ever _think_?! I-"

"Back off Vegeta," grunted Gohan, shaking off Kibito's hands. He looked angry with himself for getting beat so badly. And in front of Videl, too! "What are we doing standing around like nothing's going on? Where's Rattai?" he asked, his agitation clear.

Vegeta shot Videl and evil look. "Your idiotic mate let him get away!!"

"What?" Gohan turned to Videl. "What is he talking about?"

__

Oh boy. How do I get myself into these messes? Videl sighed warily. "I-"

"She'll explain later," said Shin sternly. "Now, I think it's important for us to get out of here, just in case Rattai changes his mind and decides to come back."

Vegeta was about to protest when Goku said, "I think that would be good. We've got some things to think about before we try to go up against him again."

"It's settled then," muttered Piccolo gruffly. He was just as confused as everyone else, and he didn't like it one bit. "Gohan, Goku, if you could use your IT to get us back to your room at the hotel . . ."

Everyone but Videl and Shin touched some part of Goku, and the remaining two hung on to Gohan. The two groups disappeared from the battleground.

Goten gulped. "Trunks . . . they left us here!!" he hissed and began to panic. What if some Saiyans came out of the spaceship and found them?! They'd be toast for sure . . . 

Trunks shot up into the air. "Come on, let's get out of here!!" Goten followed quickly after him, going Super. They didn't slow down until they were well away from the space ship, and, hopefully, out of harm's way. The two boys began to drift in the air, slowly making their way back to the Tenkaichi Budokai grounds.

"I wonder why Videl agreed to come back in six days," said Goten curiously, scratching the back of his head.

"Me too. She's always doin' somethin' crazy- first running off and getting kidnapped, then this! Did you see my Dad? I thought he was going to blow her to bits!" Trunks replied as he did a small loop-de-loop in the air. He screwed his face into an angry-Vegeta look and said, " 'What in the world does that onnathink she's doing!! We could've had him!!!'" 

Goten giggled a bit, then frowned. "Whatever excuse she has for this one better be good . . ."

*~*

The second the two groups arrived at the hotel, Vegeta angrily stomped off in pursuit of Bulma, muttering, "Who does she think she is? Stupid onna," under his breath as he went. He was ready to leave the island, ready to get back to the comforts of his home and, most importantly, was ready to get away from Goku's eldest brat's mate before he blew her into oblivion.

As Vegeta left, Shin cleared his throat and spoke. "Well. I must be going now . . ."

Goku frowned. "Going? Where? It's not over yet!"

"I know, but there is something Kibito, Pikkon and I must see to. It's very urgent," said the Supreme Kai, his voice anxious and, if Goku wasn't mistaken, slightly excited. "Goku, I will pay a visit to Bulma's home in a few hours. You and the others will be there?"

" . . . I guess . . . But don't you want to-"

"Good. Let's go Kibito, Pikkon." The trio exited the room via an open window and flew off at breakneck speeds.

"What was THAT all about?" muttered Krillin. "He just took off! You know what, he's probably not coming back."

Tien glared at Krillin. "That's the Supreme Kai you're talking about. I'm sure he's got a perfectly good explanation for everything . . ."

*~*

Vegeta found Bulma and Chichi down in the lobby, giving first aid to those who'd been injured in the Saiyan's attack on the tournament grounds. He immediately went to his wife's side, pulling her away from a young man with little more than a bruise on his leg, who had been ogling her chest with wide eyes.

"Woman," he growled. "Get our things ready. Let's get out of here."

She looked him over. He didn't appear to be hurt, with only a few minor injuries here and there. "What happened? Didn't you all duke it out with that guy yet?"

"Goku's sorry brat got his ass kicked and his mate forced us to retreat like a pack of wounded puppies," he sneered. 

Chichi had overheard the bit about Gohan getting beat up and immediately rushed into the conversation. "GOHAN?! WHERE IS HE?!! IS HE OKAY?!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"Take us to him," said Bulma, gathering up a first aid box. "He may need our help, unless you all had a senzu bean . . ."

"You'll take us to him anyway," Chichi asserted firmly.

"Don't speak to me that way, you hound."

"Hey! Don't make me get Goku on you!!"

"I could take that sorry excuse for a Saiyan warrior any day!"

Bulma jumped in between them. "You two can argue later. Let's just find Gohan, okay?"

Vegeta began to grumble under his breath again as he led them back up to Goku's room. He threw the door wide open just as Shin, Kibito and Pikkon flew out of the window. 

"What was THAT all about?" the short man asked. "He just took off! You know what, he's probably not coming back."

Tien glared at Krillin. "That's the Supreme Kai you're talking about. I'm sure he's got a perfectly good explanation for everything . . ."

Vegeta smirked. "Speaking of explanations, I think that girl owes us all one."

Everyone turned to look at Videl, who began to squirm under the scrutiny. "Ahhh . . . umm . . . you see-"

Gohan impatiently demanded while fighting away his mother's searching hands, "Will someone PLEASE tell me why were standing around here instead of out there fighting?!"

"Oh, yeah. That. Well," said Mirai Trunks. "Hmm . . . you were getting beat up _really _badly, I mean, MAN, it was just painful watching, I thought **I** was the one getting hit and-"

Gohan growled under his breath. Yeah, he didn't need to be reminded of his humiliating defeat.

"Anyway, once you hit the ground, Videl came rushing out of no where and Rattai, for some reason, asked us to come back in six days."

"Don't tell me you agreed . . ."

Once again, everyone focused his or her gaze on Videl. "Umm . . . hehe, that was me. I agreed," she said nervously.

"And she has yet told us why," reminded Vegeta. "Spit it out, girl, and it had better be good."

Videl winced. _Oh, well, here goes nothing . . ._ "You see, Shin has a plan-"

Everyone sighed heavily at exactly same time, Krillin and Mirai Trunks rolled their eyes, and Juuhachi shook her head and walked right out of the room.

Vegeta was fuming. "You agreed to ANOTHER one of his plans?! Honestly, do you have a BRAIN in that HEAD of yours, girl?!"

Goku looked disapproving. "Videl . . . look where his last one got us."

"We know the location of the Saiyan ship!" she said quickly. 

Videl was loosing her audience. Krillin and Tien left the room, and Vegeta soon followed.

"And . . . and . . . we've seen some of Rattai's fighting techniques! It wasn't a _total _loss!"

Piccolo gave her a look that said 'give it up' and flew out of the window. Goku smiled slightly at her and went over to Chichi, hooking an arm around her waist and leading her out of the room, in search of something to eat.

Videl turned desperately to Gohan. "Come on, hear me out before-"

"Videl, sweetheart," said Gohan warily, "give it up." He, too, left the room.

Bulma went over to Videl and patted her on the back. "Sorry about that."

"So am I. If I could just get them to listen to the plan before jumping to conclusions . . ."

"Well, why don't you tell me what's going on?"

She did, telling the older woman everything she knew. "Shin didn't tell me much, but that was enough to get me to agree to the six day thing."

Bulma was intrigued. "Sounds like a good idea to me! It just might work!"

"I know, but if no one's going to listen to me, then how . . ."

"I don't know. Keep trying, I'm sure Gohan will hear you out eventually. In the meantime, I'll go at Goku and Vegeta." 

Videl frowned. But that could take time, to get the stubborn Saiyan's to listen, and six days wasn't a lot to work with, especially in her current situation.

*~*

About an hour later, everyone piled back into Bulma's jumbo copter, on a non-stop course back to Capsule Corp where the Z-Fighters wanted to hold a 'meeting' of sorts, to come up with a new strategy. They'd decided to let Goten and Trunks figure out where they were, since they'd run off without permission anyway.

The ride back to CC was relatively quiet. No one said anything from fear of upsetting Gohan, who was wallowing in his defeat in the back of the copter all by himself, or because they wanted to avoid hearing anymore about Shin's newest plan, which they had already deemed a disaster because of his other one. Either way, the only conversation came from Chichi as she counted the tournament winnings from the checks she'd cashed on the island, earned by both of her sons, and while she fixed Gohan up, and from Bulma, who told them when they were close to arriving at their appointed destination. 

When they landed in the backyard of Bulma's home, they collected their things and filed into the house. Goku decided that it would be best if everyone rested up some more, and then begged Chichi to cook for them, or more likely, himself. Goku hovered around in the kitchen and the others wandered off. Videl tagged along after Gohan as he slumped around the house until he ended up outside of the gravity room. Surprisingly, Vegeta was no where to be seen, leaving Gohan free to go in. When Videl tried to go after him, he turned around and placed his body right in the doorway, preventing Videl from entering.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"In there with you."

"I'm going to be training under some intense gravity, Videl," Gohan said seriously. "You'll be crushed."

"Gohan, don't go in there! You just came from battle! You should rest up!"

"The jet ride was long enough for me to rest. I've got a lot of work to do, if I'm going to stop the Saiyans."

Videl sighed. "Look, just _listen _to me! Shin's plan is-"

"Only going to cause more harm than good." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "Be a good girl and go help Mom in the kitchen."

"GOHAN!! THAT WAS A DELIBERATE SEXIST COMMENT AND I WON'T STAND FOR IT!!!!!!!!!"

Too late, though. He had already shut the door in her face.

__

If he hadn't gotten beat up earlier today, I would've hit him for that. There was nothing left to do but turn around and do as Gohan had suggested. She walked back to the kitchen and watched in amusement as Chichi slapped Goku's sneaky hand with a spatula as he reached for a chocolate chip cookie that lay cooling on the counter. Bulma wasn't there, but then again, Bulma was rarely in the kitchen unless it was to pop something into the microwave. 

"Aww, can I have JUST ONE?" moaned Goku. "They smell so GOOD and I missed your cookies in Other World!" 

"NO, GOKU!! I SAID NO A MILLION TIMES!! You'll spoil your appetite."

He pouted. "I'm not a kid, Chi."

"Well, you sure act like one!"

Videl grinned and stepped forward. "Can I have one?"

Chichi turned around and smiled brightly at Videl. "Of course you can, dear. Take as many as you want."

Goku gapped at the unfairness of it all as Videl slowly went up to the counter and slid four cookies off of the baking sheet. When Chichi wasn't looking, Videl tossed two to Goku, who grinned and stuffed them quickly into his mouth.

"You poor thing," Chichi was saying. She bent down to place a huge turkey into the oven, along side of one that was already there. "Bulma's told me all about your problem. I want to help." Chichi reached into her pocket and pulled out something small and black. She gave Goku an evil grin and squeezed the object in her hand.

Goku gave a yelp as the black thing grew and grew . . . until it became a black frying pan. It was worn and slightly dented from all of the times she used it on Goku. "Yes, Goku dear, this is your special frying pan," she said. "The one reserved for you. The hardest of them all. Amazing how I've kept it nice and clean all these years . . ."

"C-C-Chichi, honey, put it down . . . please!" he begged.

"NOT UNTIL YOU LISTEN TO VIDEL!!! THIS PLAN OF HERS IS-"

Goku quickly shook his head, then raised two fingers to his forehead and vanished. Videl slumped down into a chair. "Nice try, Chichi."

"I thought I had him . . ."

Videl eyed the weapon in Chichi's hands. "Where'd THAT come from?"

"Oh, this?!" She laughed wildly. "Bulma made this for me a loooong time ago. How else do you think I pulled the frying pans from 'thin air'?"

When Videl said nothing, Chichi frowned. The young girl seemed to be lost in thought, staring down at the table. "Something on your mind?"

Videl nibbled on a cookie thoughtfully. "Say, Chichi . . . what do I have to do are here to get the others to think of me as more than Gohan's mate?"

Chichi laughed softly. "For me, it was being the only one who knew how to cook. For Bulma, it was all of her nifty, extremely useful gadgets. You . . . I don't know. I suppose it'll be harder, since you're also younger."

"I TRY to be useful and everything practically backfires in my face, and now I'm sure everyone thinks less of me. I honestly don't know what to do." 

"Is it really THAT important?"

Videl nodded. "Chichi . . . these people are a big part of Gohan's life, so it's natural that I'd want them to approve of me, and to welcome me."

The older woman sat across from her at the table. "They do! They all like you."

"Yeah, they like me when I'm Gohan's cute little girlfriend, but they certainly don't see me as a good fighter, or anyone useful. I'm just . . . there, you know?"

"I'm sure you'll find your own way into our group, Videl. I know you will."

*~*

Punch, kick, punch punch kick. Gohan whizzed through the air, attacking an invisible enemy as he went. All of his motions seemed repetitive though . . . his heart wasn't into it. Instead, he was thinking of something else, or more like, someone else. 

He had been ignoring Videl for a while, during the time they had to pack, on the ride to CC and even now. Gohan was beginning to fell bad.

But there was no way he was going to listen to another plan of Shin's. 

Every time he thought about it, about what it had led to, he got angry. He'd put up a good fight in the beginning, but once Rattai had powered up, he'd lost pathetically.

He landed on the ground and fell to the floor, breathing hard. _Okay . . . so it was probably inevitable. I was going to face him SOMETIME but . . ._

Placing the blame on someone else was a lot easier.

Gohan shut off the gravity, then realized that he'd been inside of the room for more than two hours. He wandered out, deciding to find Videl and apologize for that . . . rude comment he'd said earlier. _Yeah, and then she'll kick my butt . . ._

On his way down the hallway, he bumped into his mother, who had a sack tucked underneath her arm.

"Gohan! Just the person I wanted to see!" She reached into the bag and pulled out a thick wad of money, then handed it to him. "Here you go."

" . . . what?"

"It's some of the money you won. You deserve it."

It was a quite a sum of money. "What do I do with it?"

"I don't know! Surprise Videl with a nice gift or something! I'm sure she's mad at you for not listening to her. You should, by the way. It's a great plan and-"

Gohan shoved the money in his pocket and quickly took off down the hall, ignoring his mother's shouts. He felt for Videl's ki and found her outside, watching Goten and Trunks wrestle with each other. He wondered when the two boys had arrived and went over to Videl's side, sitting down next to her.

"Hey . . . Videl," he said nervously.

"Gohan."

"Ahh . . . I'm sorry for acting like a jerk earlier. I was a bit upset . . ."

"Understood. But you'd better make it up to me."

" . . . of course."

She looked at him, then grinned. "You know what, you could do that right now! Listen to Shin's idea!"

"VIDEL . . ."

"No, really!"

"I don't think so . . ."

She sighed exasperatedly. "You, Son Gohan, will listen to me if I have to pin you down RIGHT HERE and-"

"FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!!" chanted the two little boys eagerly.

"Scram, okay?!" shouted Videl. 

They wisely took off. 

Videl climbed into Gohan's lap, swung her legs around so that she was straddling his waist and grabbed his hair forcefully with both hands.

"OUCH!!! HEY, WHAT-"

Videl pulled his face close hers and said in a firm whisper, "You will listen to me. You will not interrupt me. You will think that this is a good idea and you will let me do it. More importantly, when Shin comes back to talk to us, you will SUPPORT him in front of the others. Is that understood?"

"Umm . . . yeah! If you'll let go of my hair!!"

She did and, when she moved to remove herself from his lap, Gohan kept her in place. "I didn't say I'd let you up, though," he replied, grinning.

"Why, Gohan . . . are you turning into a pervert on me?"

"No. Can't I hold you?" He tightened his grip around her waist.

"Fine. But don't get distracted now, or I'll get up. Let me tell you what happened. When I ran out to your side earlier, Shin used his mind to give me a quick outline of his plan, and when Rattai suggested prolonging the fight a little more, things were perfect for Shin's idea. So I agreed."

"Okay . . . What exactly did you agree to this time?"

"Apparently, back on Shin's home planet, a team of reaserchers have been working on a device, sort of like the ones the Saiyans use to drain energy. So now, he wants to take MY energy and give it to YOU, hopefully giving us the edge we need to win this!"

Gohan raised an eyebrow. THIS one didn't sound to bad . . . "Is it dangerous? I mean, doesn't it HURT when they poke you with that thing? And what if they drain too much and you . . . die or something?"

"I don't know, but I guess that's why Shin is coming over to talk to us. He'll give us the details."

"Hmmm . . ."

"Oh, oh! And you know what? After the energy is put into YOU, then we can go make use of Dende's Hyperbole Time Chamber and-"

"It's Hyperbolic Time Chamber, not Hyperbole," corrected Gohan automatically.

Videl waved her hand around. "Whatever."

"And did you say 'we'?"

"Yes!"

Gohan shook his head. "No, you're not coming with me, Videl. It's way too intense in there."

"I can take it! I know I can, if you'd give me a chance. Look, I want to get stronger!"

"NO!"

"You can't stop me."

"Yes, I can. I just won't let you in."

"I'll- umph!" Gohan placed a kiss firmly on her lips, cutting off her speech. 

"Eww, why don't you two get a room or something?"

Gohan flushed and got up, dumping Videl on the ground. She landed on her rear and immediately kicked him in the shin. "Ouch! Stop it, will ya?!"

Mirai Trunks snickered. "Help the lady up, Gohan!"

"I'll pick my own self up," she grumbled, getting off the ground and brushing off her clothes.

M. Trunks cleared his throat. "Okay . . . now that you two are done sucking each other's faces off, I just wanted to let you know, Gohan, that my mom wants to see you inside of her lab, and pronto." 

__

I wonder what it could be about . . . "Okay. Videl, why don't you tell Trunks that idea."

"What? Hey-"

"No, man, it's good," said Gohan reassuringly. "Better than the other one, that's for sure. You two spread the word about it, and I'll go talk to Bulma."

*~*

Gohan found Bulma rummaging through and old pile of junk in the middle of the lab. He cautiously stepped around the parts and tapped Bulma on her back.

"What's up?" he asked. "You wanted to see me?"

She whirled around and pointed a gun directly at his chest. He yelped and jumped back. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Just looking through some of my older inventions," she replied calmly, looking the weapon over. "I think that this was one of my first . . . a laser gun." Bulma tossed it over her shoulder and it hit the floor with a bang, shooting off a stray ray of red light, burning the wall in the process.

"I'm not even going to ask why you started out making ray guns."

She just laughed. "Sure thing, kid. Hey, I wanted to ask you wheter or not you-"

"Let me guess, listened to Videl's plan. Yeah, I did, and yeah, I think it's okay. We've got very little other choices, so we might as well try it."

Bulma smiled. "I'm glad you're hearing her out." She looked him over, wondering if he was feeling okay after his big fight. He seemed fine but . . . what was this? She grinned slyly. "Gohan . . . are you happy to see me?"

He looked confused. "Huh?"

"That bulge in your pocket, boy."

He looked down and bluashed, then reached into his pocket and took out the wad of money. "Oh, no! Haha, this is just some award money that Mom gave me."

"What are you going to do with it?"

" . . ."

"Treat Videl with something nice. She's feeling left out because she can't compete with the others."

" . . . left out?"

"Yeah! I know you love her and all, but you've got to show it once and a while. Women like that," Bulma said wisely. 

"Of course I love her . . . a lot . . . but with everything going on there's been no time whatsoever to be a couple like normal teenagers."

"Oh. You mean, movies, dinner, dancing . . ."

"Yeah. Besides . . . I'm not really into that kind of stuff. I want to show her how I feel in a different way, to show her that I'm totally committed . . ."

"Got any ideas?"

Gohan paced back and forth, leaving Bulma to dive back into her pile of crap. Within the time span of fifty minutes, she'd found twenty-five laser guns, all of different models, from her earlier days. _Hmm . . . what in the WORLD was I thinking back then?_

Just then, Gohan shouted, "I'VE GOT IT!!!"

Bulma jumped and her finger slipped, pulling back the trigger. A red beam escaped, hitting Vegeta, who just happened to be walking past the door, right in the side of the head. Gohan choked back a laugh while Vegeta looked dazed for a second.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" he roared.

"N-nothing dear! Just your imagination . . ."

"Woman . . . I'll get you later . . ." He stalked off.

"Now, Gohan," replied Bulma, carefully putting down the gun, "What have you got?"

He grinned widely and whispered something into her ear. She shrieked and said, "That's PERFECT!! I can help you! I know some really reliable people who can take care of ALL of your needs. Ohhhh, this is SOOO exciting and SOOO romantic!!!!"

"PLEASE don't tell me mom. She'll freak and ruin the surprise."

"My lips are sealed, Gohan! Now, when . . .?"

"Sixth day. We could have a nice little dinner with everyone there . . ."

"Great! I'll have some caterers scheduled to come by and . . . okay! I'm gonna call up those people who can help you with . . . they can come tomorrow afternoon . . . ohhh, ohhh . . .!"

Gohan chuckled slightly under his breath and watched as Bulma ran around the room in a big circle. He went over to the door and called her name loudly. When he caught her attention, he placed a finger over his lips. "Not a word. Shhh!"

"Okay, okay, okay!!! Get out, there's a TON of work to do . . ."

Gohan left the lab, trying to block out Bulma's loud chatter as he walked down the hallway with a hand in his pocket, firmly clasping the money in his palm. He was going straight up 'his' room to hide the thick wad. It was his ticket . . . 

On his way, he met Krillin going in the other direction. The short man eyed him and asked, "What's up with you? You look awfully cheesy today, Gohan."

Gohan just laughed loudly and continued on his way, whistling as he went. 

Author's Note: Digital cookie goes out to anyone who can guess what Gohan's up to. It's quite obvious but remember, don't say a word in your reviews. You might spoil it.

__

Next Chapter: A continuation of this chapter, with Shin detailing his plan. THEN . . . Day One- Gohan and Videl make a trip to the Supreme Kai's planet, where his newest plan will go underway. Gohan holds secret meetings with Bulma about his surprise . . . hmmm . . . 


	35. II Journey to Shin's Planet or The Body ...

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter 35 *~*

Journey to Shin's Planet or

The Body Snatchers J 

It was late in the afternoon before Mirai Trunks and Videl had finally convinced the others that Shin's newest plan was worth considering, and they all regrouped in the living room of Capsule Corp. Most of them didn't want to be there, and it had taken the convincing of the ever so wise Goku to get them to stay. 

Bulma was no where to be found, but Chichi happily graced the group with 'brain food', consisting of a batch of cookies and tall glasses of lemonade for all. When she left the room, they got down to business.

Videl explained, once again, the details of the plan, or at least what little she knew. The specifics were a bit unclear, but at least they could make decision as to what to do next.

She was hoping that they would agree with the plan, and didn't see an area where they might disagree. It wouldn't be putting any of them, OR their families, into any type of danger at all.

"Will someone _please_ tell me," Vegeta said with a speck of irritation in his voice, "why the Supreme Kai thinks that a mere _girl_ would posses enough energy to make the tinniest bit difference in the boy's power level? Why use _her_, when any one of us more qualified _men_ could easily do the job?"

Juuhachi chose to ignore his 'men' remark. "Have you forgotten the pure and love energy? That must be it."

"Maybe I don't believe in any of that crap. It's easy to see that there's nothing special about her at all."

Videl looked slightly offended. "Oh, yeah? Well, Rattai's already got SOME of my energy and he's probably preparing it right now! Would you like to wait and see if it affects him at all before we take action?"

Everyone was quiet until Krillin faked a cough. "Er . . . she's got a point. If we don't take advantage of this opportunity NOW, we definitely won't get it again, and it's better to be safe than sorry."

Vegeta crossed the room and stood before the group. "Fine, whatever. If you insist on using this plan, then I have a few suggestions to make it better."

Videl almost groaned out loud. She hadn't thought that THIS would happen. In fact, they all looked a little weary, but Goku, being the fair and just person that he was, said, "Go on. We're listening."

"I say, instead of using the brat here to get the energy, why not use it in someone stronger, like me, for instance? Or maybe even Kakkarot?" Vegeta said with a grin. "That way, we'll get the maximum usage of what _little _this girl has to offer."

Videl gagged and almost fainted out of disgust. "Oh, **_HELL_** no!! Nothing of MINE is going into the Ego-Queen over there!!"

Laughter was forced back as everyone tried to focus. It was clear, by the look on some of the Z-Fighter's faces, that they were actually . . . _considering_ Vegeta's idea.

"Now wait just a minute!" Gohan protested, noticing the looks. "I CAN do this, okay? You can't take Videl's energy!"

"And why not?" Vegeta sneered. "We've all got something at stake here, boy, not just you."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but, I think we should think Vegeta's idea out a little more," Piccolo said. "What's best for earth is our main focus."

"You all seem to be forgetting that this is MY energy we're talking about here," said Videl sternly, "and therefore, I should get to decide what gets done with it. And I say Gohan is the one."

Vegeta scowled. "You're just saying that because he's your mate!"

"_No_, not at all." _Okay . . . just a little bit. _"When Shin told me his plan, he said GOHAN, not Vegeta, or Goku or anyone else. Gohan. If you've got a problem, then take it up with Shin, not me."

POP! At that moment, the Supreme Kai chose to enter the room from thin air. He hadn't been expected a welcoming party, and was a little confused as to why everyone was standing there, staring at him. "Um, hello. Has Videl told you . . .?"

Goku nodded. "But we're having a . . . debate of sorts. Vegeta wants to know if Gohan HAS to be the one to get Videl's energy, or if someone else-"

"No, no, that won't work," Shin said quickly and firmly. "Gohan MUST receive the energy, if we desire the best results."

Vegeta frowned. "And why is that?"

"Because love and purity go hand in hand. True, genuine love is pure. You can't have one without the other."

There were a few muffled snickers and blank stares. Gohan turned a bright shade of red for no good reason and looked away. Shin just smiled. "Never mind that. Kibito and Pikkon are back on my planet, ensuring that everything is ready for what must be done.

"Upon hearing of the Saiyan's actions on earth, I immediately launched the creation of a device that would draw out a person's energy without causing harm to him or her. It is completely safe and would take no more than a few hours to complete. And the good thing is, this device will give us an edge up on the Saiyans."

"How so?" asked Gohan. Bulma slipped into the room, curious about this new technology.

"I mentioned before that it takes three days to prepare the energy for injection into another person, but this new machine is able to do this in only two days. This leaves more time for Gohan to get used to the new power inside of him, and to make any preparations that he wants."

"Where exactly is this machine?" Bulma questioned eagerly. She could only imagine how advanced it must be, and she wanted to get her hands on it, not to mention the other stuff the Supreme Kai was sure to have. There was no way she was going to miss out on this one. 

Shin smiled brightly. "On my planet. Videl and Gohan, we'll leave bright and early tomorrow morning."

Bulma recognized her chance. "Can I come?" 

The Supreme Kai looked a little startled that this woman that he was barely familiar with would want to accompany them, but said, "Umm, sure. Why not?"

Vegeta scowled. "Then I'm coming, too." 

Goku jumped up. "Me too, me too!!"

It became clear that the others also wanted to join them, and Shin sighed. "Fine, everyone can come. How does that sound?"

"Does that mean us too?" piped Goten as he and Trunks slipped into the room. They had been eavesdropping on the conversation, and did not want to be left behind, afraid that they would miss some action.

" . . . sure. I . . . guess . . ." _I hope I won't regret this decision later . . ._ Shin eyed the large group."If you're not here by five tomorrow morning _sharp_, then you'll be left behind."

*~*

The next morning, everyone gathered in the living room, with Chichi as a new addition to the group. Trunks and Goten were practically falling over each other from exhaustion and had to pinch themselves to stay awake. 

At five on the dot, Shin popped into the room. He was surprised that they all had actually showed up. Oh well. "Okay, everyone hold hands and I'll get us there," he said.

Easier said than done.

Bulma anxiously jumped up front and as Yamcha moved to take her hand, Vegeta gave him his best Death Glare. Yamcha wisely backed down and the Saiyan Prince took his wife's hand, grumbling under his breath. No one wanted to hold hands with Vegeta, not even his own son who whispered to Goten that he didn't want to look like a wimp, and they all stood around for a while. 

Seeing that no one was about to move, Krillin, as he giggled to himself under his breath, pushed Videl forward and forced her hand into Vegeta's. She yelped and wrinkled her nose in disgust, looking down to where her palm was intertwined with Vegeta's. "Eww . . ."

Vegeta glared down at her. "Well, _onna_, I didn't know you were so anxious to hold hands with me. Am I that hard to resist?"

Gohan placed himself between them before Videl could reply, shaking his head at Krillin's antics, then began to protest when Yamcha tried to hold hands with Videl because the older man couldn't seem to keep his eyes from wandering down the front of her shirt. Juuhachi shoved him out of the way and took his place. Soon after that, a chain was formed, with Yamcha and the two little boys brining up the rear.

Trunk turned to Goten and stage whispered, "I wonder why no one likes Mr. Yamcha."

"Probably because he sucks at fighting," Goten said back truthfully. "I bet that's why."

Yamcha turned red and laughed along with everyone else.

Shin decided not to comment and grasped Bulma's hand in his. "Okay . . . and we're off!" 

With a pop, the rope of fighters vanished. 

*~*

THUMP!!

A bundle of arms and legs crashed onto the ground as the group reappeared on Shin's planet. The Supreme Kai, however, was the only one still on his feet, eyeing the pile of people before him with mild amusement. One by one, they began picking themselves up, pausing to massage sore muscles and to shoot glares at whoever had landed on top of them.

Shin cleared his throat. "Are we ready? My place is just over that hill," he said, pointing a little off in the distance. "Come along now, and try to keep up." He didn't want any of them straying and getting lost.

Videl stayed close to Gohan, eyeing her surroundings curiously. Gohan didn't seem to think anything about the unusual color of the sky, or the weird plant life, but probably because he was used to those sort of things and all. 

Along the way, they came across a tick patch of rose-like flowers, except they were void of thorns and their petals were a weird blue color. Goten and Trunks 'ooh-ed' and 'ahh-ed' at everything, stopping momentarily to poke at an animal that resembled a cross between a squirrel and a bird that sat partially hidden in a bush before ogling the two suns in the sky and hypothesizing on why the sky was a pinkish color instead of blue. 

As they approached the hill, Shin began to walk backwards so that he could address the group. "You'll find many different peoples here at my place, so do not be surprised at their outward appearances," he said, giving Bulma, Videl and the little ones a look. "All of them have some sort of task here, which they perform with efficiency. They all take their jobs very seriously, despite my attempts to lighten their moods. Some things can't be helped, I guess . . ." 

Videl was anxious to have a look-see at this place and, when she reached the top of the hill, it wasn't like anything she expected. "His _place_? Did he mean _palace_?" she muttered to herself.

Shin's home was gigantic and stretched back many, many miles. Strange enough, it looked like an average human mansion and she was very startled to see several shiny late model cars sitting in a semi-circular driveway, complete with a gushing fountain. There was no one to be found in the area. Where were all the people?

Shin led them up to the huge front door and pushed it open, gesturing for them to go in before him. They cautiously entered, not sure of what to expect. The second the Supreme Kai entered his home, several people dressed in long white lab coats come out of no where and lined up before him.

"Ahh, these fine people here," said Shin with a hint of pride in his voice, "are the ones who came up with the machine we are about to use. Everything is running smoothly?"

"Of course, sir! The final preparations have been made, and everything is ready," replied a man (or maybe it was a woman . . .) with dark purple skin.

"Great! Come along to the lab, then, and let's get this underway."

There was no walking to be done, much to everyone's relief, when they were informed that the laboratory was located in the waaaaay back of the house. Instead, they stood on some sort of conveyor belt that took them throughout the house.

The lab was nothing more than a big open space packed full of gadgets and machines, not to mention people. Bulma stopped to inspect several objects as they walked along to the rear of the lab, and Vegeta had to grab her arm and drag her along so that she would not be left behind.

In the very back was a machine that looked much like the kind used to heal a fighter after a hard battle. Videl shifted her feet nervously. THAT was the thing she was going to get in? She wasn't claustrophobic . . . not really . . . okay, maybe just a little bit.

"Umm . . . how long am I going to have to be in there?" she asked.

"Just four or five hours," replied shin smoothly.

"F-four . . . five HOURS?!"

Gohan frowned. "What's wrong, Videl?"

"Ahhh . . ." She couldn't tell him that tight spaces made her uncomfortable. Especially not when Vegeta was looking on. She wasn't going to give him anything that he could tease her about later. Not wanting to look like a wimp, Videl raised her chin and said, "I just don't think I'll be able to sit still for that long, that's all."

Shin didn't seem to buy it. A mysterious smile appeared on his face. "Don't worry. You'll be unconscious."

Oh, THAT made her feel a lot better. "So you're gonna knock me out or something?"

"No. You'll be given an injection. Then the chamber will fill up with liquid-"

"How am I going to breathe?"

Vegeta sighed in exasperation. "Stop your stalling, girl, and get your ass in there so we can go!" 

Videl glared. "Excuse me if I'm worried about my own safety! Besides, you didn't HAVE to come, so don't bitch to me about -"

Goku had to step between the two to prevent an all out war from breaking out. "Now, now, you two. No fighting. Videl, it'll be fine. I've been in something like this before. You'll be out before you know it!"

Videl trusted Goku, so . . . "Alright. What do I have to do?"

*~*

Within minutes, Videl was unconscious, floating in blue goo while her energy was slowly drained. Bulma wandered off with a scientist, leaving Vegeta to follow behind her while she talked a mile a minute and pointed at this and that object. Shin parted with them all, saying that he had other business to attend to while they waited.

Goku had to drag Gohan away from the machine in which Videl was floating, and told him that she wasn't going to go anywhere. The rest of the group ventured outside to do some exploring, but quickly formed groups to spar in when an argument between Goten and Chibi Trunks dissolved into a fist fight. With a little coercion from Goku, they ganged up on Gohan, with three alternating fighters. 

Chichi, needless to say, was furious. When Gohan crashed into the ground after a hard hit to the face from Goku, she marched over to her husband once his feet had touched the ground and proceeded to threaten him on the top of his lungs. It took a while to calm her down, but by then, the two boys were long gone . . .

*~*

"Wait . . . wait . . . NOW!! Go, go, go!!" hissed Trunks as he and Goten darted across a hallway, trying not to get caught by two big, nasty looking men that were patrolling the hall with mean looking laser guns. "There's a lot of guards here," Trunks said, "so something good must be nearby."

"Trunks . . . maybe we should just leave it alone. I'm sure if we ask Mr. Shin, he'll let us see whatever it is they're hiding," whined Goten. He could only imagine the trouble he'd be in if his mother found out that he was sneaking into someone's private areas . . .

"Yeah, right. Don't be a weenie, Goten." He peered around the corner. "There's a door down there. Let's go for it on the count of three."

"I don't know . . ."

"One . . . twothreelet'sgo!!!!" Trunks grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him over to the door, threw it open, and darted inside. They waited for a while, and sighed in relief when on one came in after them.

"Where _are _we, Trunks?" asked Goten softly. The room was filled with gizmos and gadgets standing on pedestals, some in cases, some not. 

"I don't know . . ." Trunks walked up to a pedestal and peered at a long gun type thing. "Looks like a bunch of weapons to me."

"Maybe we should go . . ."

"Ohhhhh . . . what's _that_?" The older boy walked off, leaving Goten standing at the door. 

Goten cautiously stepped into the room and looked around until a simple blue cube caught his eye. _That doesn't look dangerous . . . maybe it's one of those puzzle things . . . _He went over to it and carefully took it down, fiddling with it. _Ah, what does this do?? Man, this is sooo boring . . . I wonder how Videl is doing in that chamber . . ._

"AHHHHH!!!!!! GOTEN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!!!!" 

Goten was snapped out of his thoughts and looked up and the cube fell from his hands. A beam of light flew from the cube and hit Trunks directly in the chest. The lavender haired boy fell to the ground and began twitching on the ground as the light over took his body and then filled the room. Goten fell to his knees, moaning, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it," over and over again until the light was gone.

"Wha . . . what happened?!" demanded a feminine, shrill voice.

Goten opened his eyes. "_T-TRUNKS?!!!!_ You . . . you . . . you . . ."

Trunks picked himself up off the floor. "I what? And why do I sound like this?!"

"YOU'RE A **GIRL**!!!!! YOU LOOK LIKE VIDEL!!!"

"WHAT?!" shrieked Trunks in Videl's voice. He . . . or maybe it was she, stamped over to a pedestal and peered at himself in the shiny metal. Trunks let out a squeak. He WAS Videl, dressed in the clothes she had been in that morning and everything!! He whirled on his friend. "You JERK!! What did you do?!"

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!!!!"

Trunks began trying out his new body, punching and kicking and so forth, but something wasn't right. He looked down at himself and frowned. He didn't like this one bit. How in the world did she fight with her _chest_ poking out in the way and everything? Trunks placed his hands on his boobs and tried to mash them in.

Goten gasped in horror. "What are you doing?!! You can't touch those!! They're not yours!!!"

Trunks glared. "YOU put them on me, so YEAH, they're mine!!" He stuck his hand up his shirt and fiddled with the contraption that was keeping his chest in place. "This stupid BRA THING is sooo annoying!! What is WRONG with women?!" 

"Ohhhh . . . if Videl found out you stuck your hand up her shirt, she'd flatten you."

"How's she gonna find out, huh? Look, just change me back!! Now!! I don't like being a girl!"

". . . I don't know how."

" . . . . . . . WHAT?!!!!!! You . . . I'm gonna beat you up, Goten!!! You better fix this!!"

"This is YOUR fault!! YOU wanted to come in here, not me!!"

"But YOU were the one who messed with that stupid block!!" 

Goten picked up the cube and bounced it around in his hands. "Let me see . . . I was thinkin' to myself how _boring_ this was, and how _stupid_ this block was, then I wondered how _Videl_ was . . ."

"That's it!" cried Trunks. "Now think of me, and I'll change back."

Goten did as he was told and . . . it worked!! Trunks was back to his old self. "That was close."

"You're tellin' me. Hey, I wonder why Gohan likes her so much . . . must be the boobs or something." 

Goten giggled. "Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be Gohan!!"

But Trunks had a MUCH better idea. He grinned mischievously. _I'm a genius. This is gonna be sooo cool!!_ "Give me that thing." Trunks snatched the cube away from his friend and held it close to his body. "Do you know what we could DO with this thing?! Why turn into _Gohan_ who got his butt kicked when we could . . ."

Before Goten could ask what he was up to, Trunks had turned himself into Vegeta, big forehead, pointy hair, spandex and all. Trunks looked down at his new body, then clenched his fists in triumph. He felt stronger already. "Now THIS is more like it!!" Trunks tossed back his head, raised his fists in the air and laughed evilly. "Bwahahahaha!!!!!"

Goten shrank away. _Man . . . he's good. _Not wanting to be left out, he took the cube from Trunks and turned himself into a copy of Goku, then stuck out his tongue. "You're still short, you loser."

Trunks snorted in a very Vegeta like manner. "Ha!! I may be short, but I can kick the REAL Goku's booty anytime, anyplace!!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!!"

Faster than light, they darted out of the room and went in search of their adversaries. Goten remembered Vegeta being somewhere in the lab and headed there while Trunks went out to the front of the mansion where the real Goku, Mirai Trunks, and Krillin were all fighting Gohan at the same time. Trunks waited for his chance, then flew into the battle scene, punching Goku right in the face, sending him flying.

"Hey!" shouted Gohan, "what was THAT for?"

__

Okay . . . now, I gotta act like dad, or this won't work . . . better choose my words carefully. "None of your business, brat!! This is between me and Gakkorat- I mean Kakkarot!!!" _Stupid, stupid, stupid . . ._

Goku got up off the ground and shook his head. "Really, Vegeta, of all places to pick a fight-"

__

I KNEW Goten's dad was a wuss. "Enough talk! Let's fight!!" He flew forward and forced Goku to fight him. The others could do nothing but watch.

Meanwhile, Goten was wandering around the lab, in search of Vegeta. So far, he hadn't seen anyone, not even Bulma. _Maybe I can't see him because all these machines are taller than he is. I'd better ask. _He poked a green person on the shoulder. "Excuse me, have you seen a guy about this high, with a huge forehead and spiky black hair? He was wearing some ugly blue spandex stuff . . ."

"I'm right here, you idiot."

Goten turned around. There was the real Vegeta standing behind him, leaning on a filing cabinet with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked bored, with an angry scowl on his face. Next to him, Bulma was bent over something, poking at it with her finger. "Oi! There you are, Vegeta." Goten lowered himself into a fighting stance. "Fight me."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "What's this? Kakkarot wanting to fight me?" It was a little suspicious, but Vegeta was absolutely bored. Besides, he wasn't going to pass up his chance to beat him. "Fine, let's go."

"WAIT JUST A MINUTE!!!" cried Bulma. "Goku, Chichi would be ashamed of you, picking a fight with Vegeta. And you two are NOT going to fight in here with all of this stuff!!"

"Fine, WOMAN!! We'll take it outside!" With that, Vegeta grabbed Goten by the back of his gi and dragged him towards the nearest exit.

Bulma's mouth fell slack. _I can't believe Chichi let Goku come and pick a fight with Vegeta!! She and I are going to have a little talk. Now._ Bulma marched angrily after them and around the side of the house. Before she could try to stop them from fighting, they'd taken to the air and were punching the crap out of each other. 

So she went back into the lab, rode on the conveyor belt and went out to the front of the house where the fighters were standing around, talking to each other in hushed tones and watching the sky. Bulma didn't see a thing and went directly over to Chichi, who looked just as furious as Bulma felt. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Your husband just forced Vegeta into a fight!"

Chichi looked shocked. "Excuse me? Goku? Force Vegeta to fight? Number one, no one has to _force _Vegeta to fight, and, number two, YOUR husband just came out HERE and punched Goku in the face for no good reason!! You better get control of him before they blow something up!"

Now Bulma saw why everyone was looking at the sky. Goku and Vegeta were fighting. "What? How did they . . . they were just over there!" She pointed to the side of the house.

"No, they were here the whole time."

"Impossible!! Goku came into the lab-"

"He was here with Gohan the whole time! Maybe you were hit with some sort of ray in that lab or something, because you have absolutely NO idea what you're talking a-"

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! LOOKOUT, LOOKOUT, LOOKOUT!!!!! I CAN'T STOP!!!!!"

Goku and the Vegeta who was really Trunks stopped in mid punch. Suddenly, another Goku came flying out of no where, eyes wide and arms waving. Both were too stunned to move, and Goten crashed into his father and Trunks. All three of them fell to the ground with a crash. Dust filled the air.

The real Vegeta flew in and landed on the ground, looking disappointed. He waved a hand in front of his face. "What's wrong, Kakkarot? Lost your touch? You should've seen that punch coming, you . . ." Suddenly the dust cleared. "WHAT THE HELL?!! WHO ARE **YOU**?!!!!" He pointed to the copycat Vegeta. "There is one and ONLY one Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans and that is ME!!!!"

Trunks gulped. They were dead now. And it was all Goten's fault!!

Gohan frowned. There were two Goku's on the ground, sprawled out on top of each other. Two Vegeta's (oh the horrors), two Goku's . . . what a mess.

The real Vegeta snarled and jumped at the imposter's throat. Trunks yelped and danced away, holing up his hands. "Wait! Wait, let me explain!!" he cried. Too late. The real Vegeta had caught Trunks in a chokehold and was threatening to blow his head off if he didn't tell him who he really was.

Goku got up off the ground and dusted himself off, then eyed his other self sitting on the ground. He helped him up and grinned. "Hey, pretty good!! You look just like me!!"

There was mass confusion. The two Vegeta's were involved in a fistfight, and no one was sure who was the real one. The Goku's circled each other, and now the two were mixed up. So who was real, and who was the fake? 

"Ohh, can I have the extra Goku?" asked a familiar voice with a hint of laughter.

Gohan turned around and grinned. "Videl!" Had it been four hours already?

"Yep, I'm back. But that was a serious question." She walked over to the pair of Goku's and grabbed the one on the left. "This one's mine."

Gohan pouted. "Now wait just a minute-"

Chichi gasped. "Oh, no you don't!! He could be the real one!! Give me him right now!!"

The other Goku began to pout too. "Hey, doesn't anyone want **_me_**?"

Piccolo, who'd watched everything with exasperation, was getting a headache and a muscle in his left cheek was beginning to twitch. He stepped forward and let out a shrill whistle. Everyone froze and turned to look at him. "ENOUGH!! You two Goku's line up right there, and you Vegeta's over there so we can get to the bottom of this mess."

The Goku's obediently did as they were told, but the two Vegeta's replied at the same time, "Don't tell me what to do, Namek!"

When Piccolo growled and stepped forward, one of them moved back. "Aha! You're the fake! Don't let him escape!"

Suddenly one of the Goku's shouted, "Run, Trunks, run!!"

Bulma's eyes narrowed. "Trunks? Oh, I see what's going on. Don't you dare run, Trunks Briefs, or you'll be on punishment for the _rest of your life_!" 

Trunks was caught. It was all over. Well, he could always try to salvage what was left of his life before he was banished to his room for all eternity. He fell to his knees and began to cry. "Please, Ma, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, PLEASE don't . . ."

Videl burst out laughing. "Hahahahaha!! This is too good! Vegeta on his knees, begging and crying! I never thought I'd see . . ." She dissolved into a fit of giggles.

Mirai Trunks laughed behind his hands and Krillin snickered. "Anyone got a camera?"

*~*

After a tearful confession from the boys, they were led back up to the room and switched back into their usual selves by Shin. The Supreme Kai did not seem angry. He only smiled at them and explained that the devices that they'd been toying with in the room had been confiscated from some of the most dangerous villains in the universe and were there so that they would not fall into the wrong hands.

"I'll have to beef up security, if two little boys were able to get in . . ." mused Shin. He then turned to Videl and took her hand. "Thank you for your cooperation today. I'm sure we can win, now that we have your energy."

"No problem. How about we get back now? I'm a little tired."

"Of course. Now, everyone hold hands . . ." 

This time, they got themselves in order faster than they had earlier that day. Once they were all back at Capsule Corp, Shin said goodbye and popped back to his planet. Goten and Trunks were locked up in separate rooms for the rest of the day as their punishment, and the others went their separate ways. 

Gohan took Videl up to bed, gave her a kiss on her forehead, then left her to sleep. On his way to the kitchen for a snack, Bulma pulled him aside and grinned. 

"Let's go into town so we can speak to those people I was telling you about," she said eagerly.

"Now?" he whined. "But I'm hungry . . ."

"GOHAN!! What is more important, your belly or-"

"Okay, okay, okay!! Let me change first, and I'll meet you out front. Jeeze, I just wanted a sandwich . . ." He walked away, shoulders slumped.

Chichi came around the corner and stopped Bulma. Why was her son conspiring with Bulma and not his own mother? "What was that all about?" she demanded.

"Hmmm . . . what? Oh, nothing, nothing at all, don't worry about it . . ." Bulma quickly escaped Chichi's grasp and took off down the hall.

Chichi leaned against the wall and glared at Bulma's retreating back. _You two are up to something . . . and I want to know what it is._

Leave comments at tobygirl2020@yahoo.com


	36. II Naughty n' Nice :

Author's Note: You guys wanted more fun chapters, and here's one. More trouble produced by our favorite chibi duo . . . They've got it in for Gohan this time.

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Thirty Six *~*

Naughty n' Nice

Trunks was bored. VERY bored. He'd been holed up in his room for hours now, with no tv, no computer, not even Goten to torment and terrorize, to pick on and beat up . . . he sighed heavily . . . all because he'd decided to have a little fun with a gizmo the Supreme Kai had carelessly left unguarded. It wasn't HIS fault, was it? It certainly was not! The guy shoulda had better security. Really . . . wasn't he supposed to be all powerful or something?

Besides, it looked as if the others had enjoyed a good laugh, too, especially after everything that was going on. No, Trunks didn't think that his punishment was fair, or necessary, but there was nothing he could do. Except sit and wait it out, of course.

He flopped down on his bed and frowned when he felt something poke at his side. He rolled over and removed a long, needle like object from his pocket. Trunks held it up so that it shone brightly in the sun. 

__

What's this?

Oh, yeah, NOW he remembered. He'd stuck the thing in his pocket while in the room full of assorted gadgets, while Goten had been fooling with the stupid block that got them into the mess they were currently in. He grinned wickedly as he recalled exactly WHY he'd taken the needle.

He'd been planning to scare Goten's wimp of a father with it. Trunks thought of Goku's reaction ("No, Chichi, get it away, AHHHHHH!!!!") when the Supreme Kai had brought a needle for Videl before they stuck her in that vat of liquid goo and began to laugh, but then stopped. What was he going to do with it now? Well, he could always keep it for later, sneak up on Goku one day and . . .

He waved it around like a sword. It made swooshing and whistling sounds as it sliced through the air. Trunks suddenly leapt up, bouncing around on his bed, stabbing the needle at non-existent Saiyan creeps.

"HA!! Take that, you freaks!! HIII . . . YAAA!! You won't get me like you got Gohan!!" Trunks speared an imaginary bad guy in the stomach. "Got you, you _suckah_!!" he cried. More 'Saiyans' swarmed in. "Back . . . _back I say!!_ . . . AHHHHH!!" He lunged forward, lost his footing and toppled off the bed, crashing to the floor.

He sat up and groaned, rubbing his sore butt while Trunks's other hand wandered around on the floor for his Super Saiyan Killing Sword, but he couldn't find it anywhere. "Man, where is that piece of . . ."

His eyes drifted down . . . down . . . down . . . and he nearly screamed at what he saw.

There was his Super Sword . . . imbedded in his belly. He'd been stabbed by his own weapon . . . 

But he wasn't bleeding. It _didn't even hurt_!!

Trunks gapped. What kind of thing WAS this?! He reached down and slowly pulled it out, then tossed it aside. He yanked up his shirt, which had a small hole in it, and was shocked to discover no matching wound on his stomach. 

__

It's a miracle!! I'm ALIVE!! 

He grabbed up the needle and grinned at it evilly. Ohhh, but he could have some fun with this thing!! If he stabbed Goten with it, he'd think he was dying . . . and then he'd go into one of his dramatic spells, _moaning_ and _groaning_ and **_bitching_** and . . . whoops, he wasn't supposed to use that word. Anyway, it would be good, so funny to see.

In fact, he wanted to try it out now. Yes, now. Who cared it he was on punishment?! This couldn't wait!! He ran over to his window and threw it open, peeking outside. No one was around. He jumped out into the air and hovered around, feeling for Goten's ki. He found it and darted over to his room's window, where he tapped on it rapidly.

Goten's eyes grew wide and he rushed over, throwing the window open. Trunks flew inside.

"Are you TRYING to get us into more trouble?!" he demanded.

"ME?! You did it, not me."

"YOU'RE the one who was gonna beat up my Dad first. I was only repaying you, so it's YOUR fault."

Trunks waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Look what I got!" He produced the needle from behind is back and promptly jutted into Goten's chest.

The younger boy stared down, then up and a grinning Trunks, then at his chest again. He clutched at his heart and groaned. "OH, GOD, YOU KILLED ME!!" He fell to the ground, rolling over and over and over while Trunks laughed is head off. "It's your Dad's fault!! He's evil, you turned into him, now you're evil, my best friend just killed me, I'm dying, NOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

Trunks kicked him in the back of his head.

"HEY, WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

"Keep your voice down, stupid! If you cared to LOOK, you'd know that you're not dying. Baka," he scoffed.

" . . . . . . Hey, you're right!! I'm alive!!" Goten pulled out the needle. "You freak, what's your problem? Do you always go around stabbing your best friends?!"

"Don't be a doofus, Goten! I knew it wouldn't hurt, because I got stabbed too."

" . . . oh. Well, you're still crazy." He thrust it at Trunks, who quickly stepped out of the way. "Stand still you, I'm gonna get ya!!"

"Oh, no you won't!! You just try!! Come and get me!!"

And so the game of cat and mouse started, but came to a pause when Goten stopped.

"Umm, Trunks . . . my ma told me not to run around with sharp objects."

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Only sharp objects that can _hurt _you. I think you're just _scared_ that you can't catch me!"

"No way! I ain't afraid of nothin!! Here I come!!"

*~*

"PLEASE, Gohan, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!!!!"

"No, Mom, I won't!! Now leave me alone!!"

"Oh, PLEASE, GOHAN, PLEASE!! JUST TELL ME!!"

"NOOOO!!!!" Gohan pried his mother away from his arm and continued on his way to the kitchen. She'd been following him around the house for the past of hour or so, begging him to tell her what he'd been up to with Bulma the majority of the afternoon. "For the one _hundredth_ time, Mom, NO!! I won't tell you!"

"Well, why not?!" she barked, her hands on her hips. "You can confide in BULMA, but not your own MOTHER?!"

"It's always been that way," he said as if it were nothing as they rounded a corner. 

"What does she have that I don't? Oh, so she's got big breasts-"

Gohan flushed. "_Mom . . ._"

"-a tiny waist, and she wears clothes that are pasted onto her body on occasion-"

"MOM!"

"-and she can flirt her way past anything that walks, and _sure_ she's a genius with machines, but WHO'S THE BETTER MOTHER?! Huh?! Tell me, WHO?!!!"

"MOM!!! You're getting hysterical!"

"Don't you talk to me that way, Son Gohan. I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it!" she screeched.

Gohan just shook his head and darted into the kitchen, making a b-line for the fridge. He pulled out the ingredients for a sandwich and began stacking items upon items upon items on one slice of butter bread.

Chichi began to scowl. She shook a finger at him and said, "Gohan, how many times have I told you, butter bread is not as good as wheat! But, of course, leave it to BULMA to have something like _that _lying around the house . . ."

Gohan rolled his eyes and quickly finished what he was doing. He shoved everything back into the fridge and walked off with his snack in hand while his mother was preoccupied with one of her rants, hoping to loose her. Within minutes, the sandwich was in his belly, and his mother was no where to be found. 

Life was good.

Now what would he do? Videl was probably still resting . . . it would be best if he left her alone for the time being. He could always find one of the guys, who were bound to be up for a good sparring . . . Yeah, that sounded good, but first, he wanted to check up on Goten. He'd looked very sad and scared when his mother had carried him up to a room for some solitary confinement. Goten wasn't a bad little boy, well, not most of the time, and he felt a little sorry for him. Chibi Trunks had probably dragged him into the whole fiasco that had taken place earlier that day.

It HAD been pretty funny. 'Vegeta' on his knees, his mother and Videl fighting over the two Goku's . . . okay, so that part wasn't that funny. Videl was NOT supposed to be attracted to his father. It was just _wrong_.

Gohan walked up to Goten's room and was surprised to hear squeals of laughter and shouts of "I'm gonna get ya" and "You're soooo slow" coming from there. What on earth was going on? Why was Trunks's voice coming from the room?

He opened the door and a tiny body collided with his leg. Gohan looked down to where Goten was sprawled out on the floor, dazed from his impact with Gohan.

"Woah, there! What were you doing?" asked Gohan.

Suddenly Trunks began to laugh. "Goten, you got him!! Look, look!!" He pointed down to Gohan's leg where the shiny long needle was currently resting.

Goten paled. Oopsies. "Er . . . sorry about that, Gohan. I meant to get Trunks, not you."

Gohan frowned down at the object. Strange . . . there was no blood, it didn't hurt . . . "Where in the world did you two get this from?" he asked, reaching down to pull it out. "And what exactly is it?"

Trunks looked nervous as Gohan removed the needle. He'd be busted if he said that he'd taken it from Shin's house . . . but no one had to know. No, not if he _neatly_ lied his way out of it. "Ahhh . . . umm . . . well . . . you see . . . what it is . . ."

So much for being neat.

The second the needle was removed from Gohan's leg, he began to feel a little woozy. Gohan leaned against the wall for support and blinked rapidly as the world began to spin, faster and faster until he blanked out.

Goten let out a girly scream as Gohan fell to the floor with a thump, the needle dropping from his now limp grasp. "Ohmygod, ohmygod, we killed Gohan!!"

Trunks knew that he had to think straight, not to mention quick, because Goten's screaming was bound to get someone's attention. He grabbed one of Gohan's legs and began to pull him further into the room. "Goten . . . shut up and shut the door!"

The younger boy's mouth fell shut and he did as he was told. "Okay . . . now what?"

"Ah . . . er . . . help me stuff him into the closet."

Goten was horrified. "WHAT?! You want me to stuff my brother's _dead body_ into a CLOSET?!"

"He's not dead, you idiot! He's still breathing. But if someone comes up here before he wakes up, we're gonna be in a world of trouble."

So the two little boys bent Gohan into an odd position and forced his body into the closet, leaving a tiny crack to that he could breathe. Trunks wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and stood back while Goten paced around, wringing his hands together.

The room was silent for a while until . . .

"What the _fuck_ am I doing in a god damn_ closet_?!"

The boys shared a scared glance. They'd never heard Gohan use those words before. 

Trunks gulped. _He must be really angry. Oh, man . . . I'll just tell him that it was Goten's fault. Yeah, that's right, Goten did it as usual . . ._

BAM!! The closet door was knocked off of its hinges and crashed to the floor.

Goten grabbed at Trunks and squealed. Gohan stepped out of the closet and looked himself over in awe, flexed his muscles and grinned before pinning a glared on the two boys. There was something different about Gohan . . . his eyebrows were pointed slightly down, like Vegeta's, and his eyes were as cold as ice. Not to mention the way he towered over the boys threateningly.

"You did this?" he barked in a deep voice.

" . . . GOTEN DID IT!!" exploded Trunks, pointing frantically. 

"I DID NOT, TRUNKS!! YOU STARTED IT!! YOU PUT HIM IN THE CLOSET!!"

"YOU HELPED!!"

"Quiet!" They quickly shut up. Gohan took a menacing step forward and Goten tightened his grasp on his best friend. "How? How did this happen?"

Goten nudged at Trunks. "You tell him!"

"Umm . . . the needle stuck you in the leg . . ."

"What needle?"

"Er . . ."

"Get it. NOW!" Gohan snapped.

Trunks dashed over and picked up the thing, holding it out to him with shaking hands. "H-here it is, Gohan sir. We're sorry, sir, we didn't mean it . . ."

Gohan snatched it away and looked it over. After a few minutes of turning it this way and that, he pocketed it. "Didn't mean it? I should thank you little twerps. You freed me from that jackass wimp."

Goten blinked. What? Freed him from _who_? What wimp? _Man, Gohan's lost it. He's gone crazy. Mom and Dad and . . . VIDEL are gonna kick our butts . . ._

"The jackass is still in the closet, cowering like a . . ."

"Jackass?" squeaked Trunks.

Gohan snickered. "Right. Do whatever you'd like to him, I don't give a damn." With that he walked out of the room.

Trunks cautiously stepped forward and peeked into the closet. His mouth fell open at what he saw.

*~*

Squeals, crashes and screaming from the floor above Videl woke her from her peaceful slumber. She rolled over onto her stomach and groaned. Weren't the demon children supposed to be in 'time out' or something? 

__

Oh, well. I should get up, I guess. I've been sleeping long enough now.

She sat up, stretched and yawned, then moved to the bathroom. Videl turned on the shower and shed her clothes.

*~*

Now that Gohan was free, there were a few things that he was itching to do. Several things, in fact, and he couldn't wait to begin.

He would start with Vegeta. That egotistical jerk had a few things coming to him, and Gohan would be more than happy to deliver.

On his way to the gravity room, where Vegeta was bound to be, he ran into a woman with dark hair pulled back into a tight bun. She scowled up at him.

"There you are, Gohan! How dare you run away from me?! You know better than that!!"

He looked the lady over, up and down. Her loud, shrill voice was giving him a headache. And just who did she think she was, anyway, yelling at him like that? No way she could be his woman, because she was just to old and too annoying. Besides, even is she was, he wouldn't let her get away with shouting in his face. "Just who the hell are you?" he demanded. 

Chichi looked flustered. "W-what? Gohan, I'm your mother! The woman who gave birth to you, who raised you, who _breast fed _you, who-"

"Alright, alright, I get the point already! Now, out of my way, woman, I'm busy." He began walking down the hall again.

" . . . WOMAN?! Get back here, Son Gohan!" Chichi stamped her foot angrily. "Right now! Don't make me sic Videl on you!!"

Gohan paused in mid-stride. _Hmm . . . a girl?_ "Videl who?"

"Your _girlfriend_, Videl! Have you lost your _mind_?"

__

My . . . girlfriend? A sly grin appeared on his face as he turned back to his mother. "Where is she, this . . . Videl?"

" . . . down the stairs, two doors on the left. You took her there yourself, remember? What is WRONG with you?"

Gohan just waved his hand nonchalantly at her and walked off, heading for the stairs. Vegeta could wait, the news that he had a woman was much more important than him.

*~*

"Goten . . . you've GOT to come and see this!"

Goten edged forward and peered hesitantly into the closet. "NANI?! WHO IS **THAT**?!!"

There, on the closet floor, sat a _second_ Gohan, sitting Indian-style on the floor with a huge, goofy grin on his face. "Why, hello, Trunks, Goten," he said in a sugary sweet voice. "I've been trying to figure out why I'm in this closet, but I'm afraid I'm stumped. Maybe you two would know?"

"Trunks, this is just like earlier today! TWO Gohan's!" gasped Goten.

"But . . . but . . . HOW?!"

Gohan's head tilted to the side. "Is there something I can help you boys with? I'd be more than happy to."

Goten didn't like this nice Gohan's tone of voice. It was . . . creepy. He sounded like he'd sucked in a bunch of helium or something. "Umm . . . maybe you can. That other Gohan, who just left, who is he?"

"Oh, him. Well, he's who I'd like to call . . . the Naughty Gohan."

Trunks forced back a laugh. "NAUGHTY Gohan? I didn't know there was such a thing!"

"Oh, yes, he does exist, but usually, I am able to suppress his more naughty urges. Now he's escaped, and that could mean trouble," replied Gohan with a worried look on his face. 

This time Trunks did laugh, and Goten had to elbow him in the stomach to get him to stop. "So, let me guess," said Trunks, giggling every now and then, "you must be the Nice Gohan."

"That's right, Trunks! What a smart little boy you are!"

Goten mentally gagged. Even his father wasn't THIS cheesy, and that was saying something. "How can we get you two back together? I miss the old Gohan already."

Nice Gohan sighed. "Well, we have to find him first and then . . . we can go from there."

The boys nodded, and they all stood around looking stupid for a few minutes. 

Goten cleared his throat. "Umm . . . you've got to come out from the closet first."

"Oh, right!"

The three went into the hallway, unsure of where to start looking. Trunks frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Now, if I were Naughty Gohan, where would I go?"

. . .

. . . 

"VIDEL!"

*~*

Videl was just finishing rinsing out her hair when she felt someone's ki enter her room. She'd gotten pretty good at detecting energy, but hadn't exactly figured out how to tell who's it was. Her hand immediately darted out and grabbed a towel. She turned off the water and wrapped it around herself. _Now who on earth could THAT be? If it's that Yamcha, I swear I'll . . . then again, I doubt that he has a high enough ki to sense . . ._

She stepped out of the tub and cautiously stepped forward. Videl jumped as the bathroom door slammed open. "GOHAN?!" she shrieked. "What in the world are you doing?!"

Naughty Gohan grinned at the sight of Videl, dressed only in a small towel. Seeing her brought forward selected memories, a few hot kisses that they'd shared, some steamy dreams, images of her in a bathing suit . . . He grinned. _At least my good side has a little taste! _Naughty Gohan stepped forward and licked his lips. "So . . . you must be my bitch."

Videl gapped. "EXCUSE ME?! Satan Videl is _no one's _bitch!! And you're not allowed to use those words, you know!"

"Actually, I didn't know." He took another step closer. "You mind loosing that towel?"

"Hell yes, I mind! Get outta here, NOW, so I can put on some clothes before I kick your ass!!"

Naughty Gohan just came forward again, his hand stretching out to grab at her towel. Videl sneered. "I TOLD YOU TO BACK OFF!!" She held out her hand and shot a ki blast at his chest and blew him out of the bathroom. He crashed into the opposite wall and fell to the ground in a slump.

She shot forward and darted out of the room, not bothering to grab any clothes. Gohan would be up any second, and she didn't want to be around when he did. Videl just hoped that she didn't run into anyone on her way to Bulma's room . . .

Naughty Gohan shook his head and got up, patting his charred shirt. Well. He didn't know that she could fight! He rubbed his head and grimaced. She was a fiery one. No doubt he'd have fun with her . . .

But later. First Vegeta, then Videl, then the world . . .

*~*

"Goten . . . did you feel that?" asked Trunks suddenly.

"That ki that spiked? Yeah, I think it was Videl," Goten replied nervously. "You don't think he tried anything, do you?"

"Yes, I do. Come on, let's go. And Nice Gohan, be prepared to fight your other self. He won't come on his own."

There was no reply. The older boy turned around and faced Goten. " . . . where's Nice Gohan?"

Goten turned, too, and groaned. The other Gohan was no longer behind him as he had been for the last five minutes as they searched each room on the floor for any signs of Videl. "He was right behind me a few minutes ago! He must've wandered off or something!" 

"That idiot! Now we have to find BOTH of them!!"

Goten looked hesitant, then quickly said, "Let's go find the nice one first."

"Agreed."

*~*

Nice Gohan entered the kitchen of Capsule Corp. and smiled broadly when he saw his mother at the stove, removing a batch of sweets from the oven. He danced over to her side and gave her a great big hug. "MOMMY!! And how are you this fine, fine day?"

She turned to him and smacked him in the face with a spatula. "You've got some nerve, boy, coming to me like that, after that whole . . . _thing_ in the hall."

"Ow!! I'm so sorry, Mommy, I wasn't myself. Please forgive me," he said, giving her his best puppy dog face.

As usual, it worked like a charm. "You're forgiven . . . if you tell me what you were doing with Bulma this afternoon."

"Why, certainly! A boy should _never _keep anything from his mommy! Now, where should I start?"

*~*

"_NO_, he _didn't_!" cried Bulma out of shock as she handed Videl a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Oh, yes, he did! I'm gonna find him, Bulma, and give him a BIG piece of my mind," grumbled Videl from the bathroom. She quickly dressed and emerged, angrier than she had been in quite some time. "Come on, let's go find Chichi. Maybe she knows where Gohan is."

"She was in the kitchen baking the last time I saw her. Let's head down there, shall we?" 

*~*

"Trunks . . . I smell cookies."

"So?"

"So . . . maybe Nice Gohan went down to the kitchen for a snack, or maybe to see my Mom. I bet he's there."

" . . . you just want something to eat."

"So do you."

" . . . what are we waiting for, let's go then!"

*~*

As the others began to gather in the kitchen, Naughty Gohan continued on his way to the gravity chamber. Once there, he noted that the red light was on overhead, and smirked. Vegeta was in there- he had to be. Naughty Gohan shoved open the door, negating the gravity, and waltzed right into the room, much to Vegeta's chagrin.

"Boy, how _dare _you burst in while I'm training?! Have you gone blind, or did you no notice the red light?" he demanded.

Naughty Gohan grinned. "Oh, I noticed. I just didn't care."

Vegeta looked Gohan over, taking in the subtle changes in his appearance. His eyebrows, for instance, resembled his own, his devil-may-care stance, that smirk. "What happened to you, twerp? You're different."

"I'm _better_. No longer that geeky little wimp, Mr. Goody-two-shoes."

"Hurrah," sneered Vegeta sarcastically. "What the fuck do you want?"

"To challenge you to a fight, what else! I'll prove to everyone that I'm not a wimp by taking you down, while paying you back for being a jerk all those years ago."

Vegeta's eyebrows rose. Two challenges in one day? What was that green bean Dende up to?

*~*

Goten and Trunks arrived in the kitchen the just before Videl and Bulma. They all stared at each other, as if to ask 'What are YOU doing here?' before glancing at Chichi and Gohan, who practically lay in his mother's lap while she fed him cookies and brownies.

The boys had found their Nice Gohan. Now to pry him away from his mother's grasp before Bulma remembered that they were supposed to be in time out . . .

Videl was about to make a scene when Chichi grinned knowingly. "I know something you don't know," she sung, stuffing a large brownie down her eldest son's throat while stroking his hair at the same time. He purred loudly with delight, causing Videl to jump. She hadn't heard THAT before.

Bulma looked from Gohan to Chichi, then back to Gohan. "Oh, I don't BELIEVE you, Gohan!! You TOLD?!"

Gohan looked quite innocent. "Why, of COURSE I told, Ms. Bulma! I could not leave my mother out. She, after all, WAS the one who gave birth to me, who raised me, who breast fed me, who-"

"Alright already!" shouted Videl. "Enough with this cute act! Get up this instant, Gohan, so I can give you the butt kicking of your life!!"

"Whatever for, Videl, my love?"

"You know why!!"

Chichi turned to Bulma as Videl fussed at Gohan. "I knew I'd crack him eventually. I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"Well, you tend to run your mouth about these sort of things . . ."

"I wouldn't, when it's this important." She fed Gohan one last cookie and made him sit up. "Well, I'll keep the little secret."

"What secret?" asked Videl curiously. 

*~*

Vegeta got into his fighting stance. "Fine, boy, bring it on. I'll be happy to pound you into the ground."

"Pound ME?! More like _you'll_ be the one crying out in pain when I get done with you! Hahahahaha!!"

Vegeta was surprised by Gohan's evil cackling and scowled. "Just who do you think you are? NO ONE laughs evilly better than me, Vegeta, Prince of ALL Saiyans, including YOU!" An intake of breath. "HAHAHAHAHA!!" Vegeta took a moment to clear his throat. "See?"

"Oh, yeah? Well, I can do MUCH better than that! Mwahahahahahaha!!"

__

Oh, no you don't . . . "MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

"Bwahahahahahaha!!!!"

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" 

"Gyahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!"

"GYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

*~*

"Nothing," both women said quickly.

Videl's eyes narrowed. "Right. It has something to do with ME, doesn't it? Tell me!"

"We can't," Bulma replied. Chichi nodded.

Trunks and Goten took the opportunity to pull on Nice Gohan's shirt. "Come ON, we gotta-"

All speech in the kitchen was cut off when eerie sounds of continuos evil cackling flowed into the room. Everyone stood rooted in their spots, looking around for the source of the sound.

" . . . my _god_ . . . what IS that?" demanded Videl. "It's AWFUL!"

"GYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Goten covered his ears. "Make it stop, oh please, _make it stop!!"_

Bulma looked angry. "I know that sound anywhere! That's Vegeta!"

"MWAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!"

Chichi made a face. "Then WHO on earth is THAT?!"

Goten and Trunks gulped. They knew who it HAD to be- Naughty Gohan was having a who-can-laugh-like-an-evil-villain-better contest with Vegeta. Now they were going to be found out, and then punished AGAIN . . . 

Oh, well, just as long as they got to the Gohan's together, so that the noise would STOP!

They al headed to the gravity room where a large group of most of the Z-Fighters were already gathered, minus Goku, Juuhachi and Piccolo, obviously drawn to the noise as they were. No one seemed willing to go into the chamber and see exactly who Vegeta was laughing it out with. Seeing that no one was going to go in, Videl shoved her way forward and shoved the door open.

"WILL YOU SHUT THE **FUCK** UP?!!!!" she roared, stomping up to Vegeta and giving him a right hook in his stomach. Then she turned to the mystery person and gapped. "GOHAN?!! How . . . you . . . but . . ."

Nice Gohan stepped into the room with a disaproving look on his face. "Hello there, Naughty. I see you've been a very, VERY bad boy indeed."

"Nice," sneered Naught Gohan. "You went and ruined all of my fun, as usual!"

Vegeta, who decided to ignore the fact that an onna had just punched him, looked between the two and shook his head. "I see . . . somehow, the two parts of the brat have split. Now we have Mr. I-think-I'm-So Bad and The Perfect Son."

The two boys came forward with guilty looks on their faces. Goten put on his best 'don't hate me cuz I'm too cute face' and said, "We did it. We're sorry. It was an accident!"

Videl frowned. "Let's get them back together. I want to old Gohan back."

Naughty Gohan suddenly looked extremely paranoid. He began to back up, waving his hands frantically. "On no!! You'll never take me, you hear?!! YOU'LL NEVER-"

Videl kicked Naughty in the face, then kneed him in the groin, sending him to the floor. The boys rushed forward, grabbing Nice by the arm and plucked the needle from Naughty Gohan's pocket. Nice grabbed his other half's hand and Trunks drove the needle back into Naughty. With a flash of light, the two came together as one.

Everyone sighed in relief as ONE Gohan got up from the floor, rubbing his cheek. Videl smacked him on the back of the head so hard that he stumbled forward and almost fell flat on his face.

"THAT was for calling me your BITCH!!"

*~*

Shortly after everything was settled, Shin came to the house to retrieve his stolen item. When Goten curiously asked why he and Trunks hadn't split into a good and bad person, Shin smiled.

"Children are all supposed to be good on the inside . . . although, I think you two may be the exception to the rule."

And then when asked why Naughty Gohan hadn't remembered Chichi, or Videl, Shin told them that it meant that his mother and Videl were associated with Gohan's 'good' thoughts and not his bad.

Goten and Trunks weren't punished, because they were already supposed to be locked up. They were sent to their rooms for the rest of the day; Chichi, however, sneaked them both some treats. After all, she couldn't have found out THE secret without them.

Gohan was begging for Videl's forgiveness, which she reluctantly granted provided that he never called her that word again, and that was that.

Krillin, however, was a little sad to see the needle go back to it's home with Shin. "Damn . . . why couldn't we have used that on Vegeta? We could've done away with the bad side!"

Videl snickered. "It probably wouldn't have worked anyway. Vegeta's rotten to the core."

Vegeta himself stepped up behind them with a scowl on his face. "Damn right I am, and don't you forget it." He then turned to Gohan. "Boy, I think you owe me a spar."

"N-n-nani?!"

"I haven't forgotten. Besides, your onna hit me, and since I cannot hit her back, I'll hit you," he said with a grin. He grabbed Gohan by the back of the shirt and dragged him off to the gravity room.

"No!! NO!! Videl, **HELP**!!!!"

Author's Note: THAT was long. Anyway, please review. 

****

ADVERTISING: Wow, I haven't done THIS for a while. 

Gundam Wing fans, or anyone who needs a good laugh should REALLY check out 'How to Write a Fanfic Review, GW Style'. It is THE funniest thing I've read in a long time! Check it out. It's about Heero and what he _really_ does on his laptop all night. __

NEXT CHAPTER: Umm . . I really don't know yet. Sorry! J 


	37. II Three

Author's Note: Hiya! Is anyone still here? Well, I don't blame ya if you don't want to read anymore, since it's been months since I've last updated this story. I'm kinda ticked, though, that I've been missing all of the new DBZ episodes because I don't have cable (or the internet, for that matter) anymore. Oh, well. Knowing Cartoon Network, I'm sure they'll play the episodes again.

Nope, I don't own DBZ.

II. Dark Passions

*~* Chapter Thirty Seven *~*

Three 

For the next forty-eight hours, the regimen was filled with nothing but rigorous training and strenuous excursuses. And, whenever the boys trained hard, Chichi _worked _hard in the kitchen. This time she was accompanied by Bulma, of all people, who decided that while everyone was busy working out, she would have time to score a few recipes from her friend.

Chichi was stirring a giant bowl of batter with two hands and a huge spoon, all the while keeping an eye on Bulma's progress with one of the many turkeys they had to bake that day. The younger woman's face screwed up as she frowned.

"This is sooo disgusting," moaned Bulma as she shoved her arm into the bird's body, taking out the innards. "Why don't the turkey people just take them out themselves?"

"They're fresh, just plucked, in fact. Dad was kind enough to bring us a bunch," said Chichi, her voice a tad bit strained from stirring. "Or maybe you'd like to pay for them?"

She grumbled underneath her breath. "Yeah, well, I'll be glad when this is all over. Then everything will be normal again."

"Things are never normal around here."

"You know what I mean." 

Videl stomped angrily into the kitchen and yanked open the refrigerator, nearly ripping the door off its hinges. As she removed several bottles of water, Chichi asked, "What did Vegeta say now?"

Vegeta, as they wall knew, was very serious about his training and had adamantly protested against having Videl present at their workout, declaring that she'd just hold them back. After Gohan and Goku came to her defense, he'd backed down, but his attitude hadn't improved a bit.

"He forced me to leave the gravity room _again_!"

Bulma shook her head. "Why?"

"Vegeta said that I was distracting Gohan or something and told me to 'be a good little girl and fetch the men some refreshments'! The nerve of that _jerk_!"

Chichi sighed heavily, turning away from her work. "They're _still_ going at it? They know that Shin will be here any minute to give Gohan your energy."

Videl rolled her eyes, opened one of the bottles and sipped at the icy liquid. "Yeah, well, everyone seems to feel the need to bash in Gohan's face or work him until there's nothing left. Secretly, I think Vegeta wants to off Gohan so he can take his place in The Big Fight." 

Bulma snorted and moved away from her bird. "Well, I wouldn't put it past him. He's very eager to defend his title as the true Saiyan prince." Then she returned her hands to the bird's insides, wrinkling her nose at the same time.

"Yeah, well, he can take his eagerness and stick it up his . . ."

"_Good_ morning everyone!" Shin popped in from no where and stood in the middle of the kitchen, surprising the three women. Bulma was caught off guard so much that she tossed her turkey over her head, and it flew over the table where Videl sat and onto the floor.

Chichi scowled. "Bulma! You wasted a perfectly good turkey!"

Videl grinned. "Feed it to Vegeta. He'll never know . . ."

Shin smiled. "So, where are the others?"

"Working the poor gravity room to death," replied Videl, beginning to get up. "I'll go get them."

"Oh, no need. I'll just call them."

They waited a few seconds and, sure enough, the men came bounding into the kitchen, with Gohan in the lead. Despite his bloody face and clothing, he wore a big grin and looked eager to get things going. "Are you ready?"

Shin approved of his attitude and nodded once. "It appears that you are. Now, who will be making the trip with us this time?"

Gohan looked around, then turned his fellow fighters. Each of them stared back and waited for him to say something. "Say, could someone stop by Dende's and tell him to ready the chamber? And see if there's a good supply of senzu beans? And ask him whether or not . . ." He glanced hesitantly at Videl, who raised an eyebrow. "Ask him if Videl can stay up there while we fight . . . when it's time?"

Videl jumped up. "Oh, no you don't! I'm coming too!"

Vegeta gave her a look. "I don't think so. It'll do none of us any good if you keep running out onto the battlefield every time the brat here gets socked in the face . . . which," he smirked evilly and replied sweetly, "will be bound to happen many, _many_ times."

"Ha, ha, Vegeta. And Videl, you'll be safest up there, okay? That's the only place where I feel would be best for you to stay."

She sighed. It wouldn't do anyone any good if Gohan worried about _her_ safety the whole time that he was supposed to be fighting. "Fine. Whatever."

Gohan gave her an encouraging smile. "Thanks. Piccolo, Vegeta and Dad, you guys can come with me. The rest, I guess, can go up to see Dende. And take Videl- she might be there for a while."

With that, the selected fighters lined up and grasped hands, forming a small chain with Shin at the head, and were off. Krillin and Tien turned to Videl and stared for a while.

"Well?!" she exclaimed angrily. "Let's _go _already!!"

"Okay, okay! Geez, don't have a cow . . ." muttered Krillin. "It's quite a flight . . ." He looked Videl over skeptically, then glanced up at Tien, who shrugged his shoulders. "Think you can keep up?"

Videl glared. "Keep up? Keep _up_? I'll show you _keeping up_!"

*~*

Vegeta scowled furiously as Gohan, wearing a goofy smile, waved to his father before jumping into the pod in which his mate had been in just days before. _I can't believe this! That brat! It'll take much more than some added energy to get him up to where he should be, to a point where he can defeat that imposter prince. I should be in there right now . . . I should be the one to take back my title . . ._

He whirled around and crossed his arms, feeling the rage build up again. Every time he thought of someone else being called the prince of all Saiyans, it infuriated him beyond belief. HE was the one and only prince, and some punk was ripping of his title.

_If the boy can't take out that fake, then I shall! I will put an end to his farce, and regain my former glory!_

Vegeta's face began to form a sinister smile. He hadn't forgotten about the new Saiyan planet that existed out in distant space, just _waiting_ for him to come along and _truly_ make it what it once was. He could imagine the throngs of Saiyans bowing down at his feet as he reigned supreme over them all . . .

_But you have a family now . . . here, on earth. A son, a wife . . . they won't want to leave their friends, their home planet, just as you didn't want to leave yours._

Well, now, this _did_ present a bit of a problem. Could he just pack up and leave? A few years ago, he would've answered yes without a second's thought. But now, he had a son, a son who's strength and fighting ability looked promising and a woman whom he . . . well . . . whom he cared for- although he'd never admit it to anyone.

What a predicament! Return to his title, or stay on earth, with his new life . . .

Goku turned away from his son, who was now unconscious and absorbing Videl's energy, to look at Vegeta. Piccolo's attention was also on the man, which Goku thought was strange. Piccolo _hated_ Vegeta, but now he was gazing at the proud Saiyan with worry in his eyes. Goku approached his friend and whispered, "You feel that?"

"Feel what?" grunted the Namek, although he knew perfectly well what Goku was talking about.

"Vegeta's always been the king of hiding his emotions, but now . . . I can feel that he's in a battle with himself."

There was indeed a stricken look on Vegeta's face, as if he'd just realized something horrible. Piccolo struggled to fight back his concern. That arrogant man deserved no worry from anyone, as far as Piccolo was concerned. Whatever he'd done, or whatever he was _going_ to do that made him so unsure about himself was Vegeta's problem, and had nothing to do with Piccolo. 

The Namek quickly turned to Goku, his face going blank. "I'm going out to meditate. Feel free to join me at any time." He exited the lab with haste, not looking back. Goku's eyes followed the anxious Piccolo until he was out of sight, then sighed and returned his gaze to his fellow Saiyan, only to find Vegeta already staring at him.

Their eyes remained locked until Vegeta very slowly turned around and walked off. 

*~*

"You'll be totally comfortable up here, Videl," Dende assured happily, trying to ease the unhappy look off of her face. "Besides, I'm sure with the Supreme Kai's added measures, Gohan will easily take the victory and you'll be back with him in no time."

"I sure hope so," muttered Videl. She still wasn't too excited about the thought of staying up at the lookout while the fighting was going on below. But what could she do? Absolutely nothing.

"Gohan also wanted us to ask about senzu beans and the Hyperbolic Time Chamber," Krillin spoke up. "Everything in order?"

Dende nodded, recalling the work he'd done early that morning in preparation for his friends. "Yep. We've got a new batch of beans, and the chamber is still in working order. So when can I expect him tomorrow?"

Tien grinned. "As soon as possible- you can count on that. Maybe the crack of dawn. And it won't be just Gohan- I suspect Piccolo, Vegeta and Goku will want to take advantage of the opportunity too."

"Yeah. And it seems as if Gohan's really fired up, ready to defend his woman's honor!" cracked Krillin, giving Videl a wink.

"Whatever." Then a familiar, sly look appeared on her face as she inched closer to the young guardian. "Say . . . Dende . . ." 

Krillin looked at her suspiciously, his eyes moved up and down her frame. "Hey hey hey! I know that voice! What is it now? What do you want?"

"I wanted to know if it would be possible for me to join Gohan in the time chamber thingy. You know, be his back up, his . . . cheerleader or whatever?"

Tien snickered. "Right. You'll be more like a distraction. He'll be too busy sucking face with you to get any work done."

Videl narrowed her eyes and growled, "Grow up, will you guys? He knows how important this is. He wouldn't do anything like that. And you know it."

"Maybe," Krillin replied, but his voice didn't sound too confident. "Anyway, I'm sure the minute you ask him about it, he'll say no."

Tien nodded in agreement. "So don't even bother asking."

Videl scoffed and turned her back to them. _What an encouraging bunch of people they are! Really! Well, I don't give a rat's ass about what they think. I'll convince Gohan to let me in the chamber with him. I have to. _

*~*

Chichi waltzed into the kitchen with a cardboard box in her arms, plopped it on the table and, although it was addressed to Gohan, eagerly began tearing at it with her hands. Bulma, who'd come in only for a cup of coffee (most definitely not to cook), turned from the counter and raised an eyebrow. 

"What are you doing?" she asked apprehensively.

"Give me a knife!" Chichi grunted instead of answering as she whacked on the box with her fist.

"What's in there?" She came around to look at it. "This is Gohan's! Chichi, honestly . . . he's a big boy now. I _think_ he can open his own packages," Bulma muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She moved to take the battered box from the woman.

Chichi slapped her hand away. "Look! Look who sent it! And guess what's inside . . ."

Bulma scanned over the address. "Oh . . . ohhhhhh . . ."

Chichi's face lit up. "Let's open it! Let's open it!"

Like two young girls on Christmas morning, they attacked the box until nothing was left but little pieces of cardboard, some of which had somehow ended up in their hair. Panting, they stared wide-eyed at the two small black boxes that lay before them.

Bulma turned to her friend. "You're the mother . . . you do the honors."

Chichi didn't hesitate. She snatched up one of the boxes and cracked it open. "WOW!!! This must've cost a _fortune_!!!!!! It's so beautiful . . ."

"Sure is. And it probably did cost a fortune. After all, he won one at the . . . hey! What are you doing?!"

Chichi slipped the band onto her finger (with much difficulty) and held it up to the light as the stone glistened. Her eyes began to water with motherly joy. "Oh, Bulma, look at it. It's wonderful. It's beautiful. It's _perfect . . . _it's . . . it's . . . it's stuck!!!"

Bulma choked back a laugh as Chichi began to pull furiously at her hand. She watched the theatrics for a while before saying, "Okay, okay, good one Chichi. Now, take it off before Gohan gets back, or worse, before _Videl_ gets back and sees."

"What . . . does . . . it look like . . . I'm trying . . . to do?! It's really _stuck_!!!!!"

" . . . Gohan's gonna kill you . . ."

"NOT if he doesn't find OUT!"

Bulma snickered. "Well, he's gonna know that you tore open his private box-"

"ME?! YOU helped too!"

"Hey, it was _your_ idea! AND you started it!"

While they argued and bickered, neither heard the front door opening, nor did they hear Videl, Krillin and Tien reenter the house until Krillin loudly announced that he was 'in the mood for some grub'. At that moment, the two women froze for a second, then began a flurry of movement, each sweeping up a ring box and stuffing it into their pocket. Chichi grabbed an oven mitt and stuffed her hand into it to hide the ring from the eyes of the others.

The three entered the kitchen, then stopped, eyeing the guilty looking women as they stood there with nervous smiles plastered on their pale faces. They all knew, instantly, that something was up.

Videl noticed the cardboard bits on the floor and in their hair and on their clothes. "Whose package was it?"

"What?" they squeaked at the same time.

"You opened a package, didn't you? Must've had some _pretty_ interesting contents, huh?" Videl grinned slyly. "C'mon, you can tell me what it was."

"What _what_ was?" asked Chichi innocently.

Videl snickered, then turned around and left, calling over her shoulder, "I'm sure Gohan will tell me what it was when he gets back!"

Bulma let out a squeal of surprise. How had she known?!

Tien and Krillin, not wishing to be in the crime scene when the others returned, quickly decided to go out for something to eat.

Chichi yanked off the mitt, tossed it to the floor and searched the fridge for some butter. Finding it, she covered her finger with it and yanked. Nothing. This time, Bulma helped to pull it off, but the ring remained on Chichi's finger.

"Well, now we have no choice but go to the boys for help. Maybe they're strong enough to get it off," supplied Bulma when they'd given up.

Chichi wasn't to wild about having two strong little boys pulling on her arm, but agreed and went out back in search for them. They tore around the side of the house, yelling for Trunks and Goten, who appeared to be nowhere in sight.

"Damn it! Where are those brats when you need them?" muttered Chichi after they'd circled the house several times.

"Let's try the gravity room," Bulma suggested. "Where else would they be?"

So off they went, peeking around corners stealthily to see if Videl was anywhere around before darting down the hallways. When they reached it, the red light above the door was glowing brightly. Bulma kicked in the door to find Vegeta, not the boys, working in the room.

"What do you want, woman?" he scowled angrily. "You interrupted my training."

"I was looking for Trunks, or maybe Goten. Have you seen them?"

"They flew out to that onna's house over there-" Vegeta gestured to Chichi, "-to pick up something or other. Why?"

Bulma swore, then frowned. "What are you doing here anyway? The others aren't back yet."

Vegeta hesitated, then answered while turning away, "I didn't feel like sitting there, staring at Kakkarot's brat float in goo all day. I have better things to do with my time."

Chichi stepped forward. "You sure do. Bulma, we need his help."

This caused Vegeta to whirl around, a perplexed look on his face. "What did you say?"

"You heard me. I need your help."

He looked suspicious. "With what, onna?"

Bulma gasped. "But he'll find out! He'll know!"

"Well, I'd rather he know than Videl. So, since no one else is around, he's the only person," Chichi calmly rationalized.

" . . . okay . . ."

Chichi stuck out her hand and flashed the ring at Vegeta, who raised an eyebrow. "I need to get this off. Now."

Vegeta looked between his wife and Kakkarot's, then at the ring. Gears began turning in his mind and suddenly, things clicked. A tiny, evil grin spread across his face. "Well, _this_ is certainly interesting! How did you two get yourselves into this one?"

Bulma sighed. "Are you going to help or not?"

Vegeta made them squirm for a few seconds, then nodded. He snatched up Chichi's hand a little roughly, examined the finger and the stuck ring, and then laughed. "How on earth did you manage to fit this on your fat finger?"

"_Fat finger_?! My fingers aren't _fat_, you . . . ouch!! _OUCH!!!"_

Vegeta twisted the ring, yanked, twisted again and pulled it free. He looked at it a bit, then gave it back to Chichi, who pocketed it and raised her chin.

"Well . . . thanks."

" . . . you're . . . welcome . . ." Hmmm. Those words were _very_ foreign to Vegeta's lips. He turned back around and eyed the controls. "Now, if you will, I'd like for you to leave. There's still work to be done."

The women quickly left, securing the ring in its box with relieved sighs. They wearily went back to the kitchen, only to find Videl sitting in Gohan's lap with a pile of cardboard chips lying on the table in front of them. Gohan, who looked a little sleepy, was eyeing the chips nervously, licking his lips.

"And so I came in here, and they looked _incredibly_ guilty and really pale, with this stuff all over the floor and on them, and of course they _denied_ everything." Videl appeared to think, tilting her head this way and that. "It was weird, because your mother had on an oven mitt, but I didn't smell anything cooking . . . still, don't as a matter of fact . . ."

"I wasn't expecting anything," Gohan lied, setting her on her own two feet. "Really, I wasn't."

"Oh, so it's going to be like that, huh? Okay. But you know I'll find out."

Gohan smiled. "I'm sure you will."

Videl left the kitchen, but not before stopping to eye the two mothers. 

Chichi and Bulma unloaded their pockets guiltily and told him the whole story. Gohan took the boxes and laughed. "I guess you've learned your lesson then."

Chichi immediately nodded. Her hand was still sore from Vegeta's yanking.

"So, how'd it go at Shin's?" asked Bulma.

"Everything's fine. I should be going up to bed, though. Got a big day tomorrow." He got up and stretched. "See you in the morning."

*~*

The morning began early for Gohan. He was ready to start his intense training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, to put Videl's energy to good use. The sun had not even risen yet, and Gohan was already tying up the sash on his gi.

Heading down the stairs, he felt the ki's of his dad, Vegeta, Piccolo, and . . . Videl, gathered in the living room of the Capsule Corp. building. He smiled a tiny smile. _So she wants to see me off. Of course._ Gohan felt uneasy about having to leave Videl behind while he aged a whole year, about being away from her for that long. Since they'd been together, they'd rarely been separated for an extended amount of time. But what else could he do? This had to be done.

He joined the others in the living room, first going up to Videl and hugging her. "Are you going up there with us to say goodbye, Videl?"

"Actually . . ." she began.

Vegeta groaned, Goku looked apprehensive, and Piccolo just shook his head. Gohan knew what they were all thinking. 'What is it now?'

"I was thinking that I'd could come in with you. In the chamber, I mean."

Vegeta exploded. "NO! Absolutely not! You'd serve no other purpose other than to distract the boy from his work!"

"Gohan's a big boy, Vegeta. I think he can deal," sneered Videl. 

Goku gave Videl a concerned look. "The time chamber is NOT an easy place to be in. It's . . . very intimidating for first timers."

Piccolo said nothing, just looked a little thoughtful.

"In other words," Vegeta wrapped up, "you'd only be a hindrance and a nuisance."

Gohan stared into his girlfriend's eyes, seeing her honest desire to be with him. "You'd really like to come, Videl?" he asked softly.

" . . . Yeah."

" . . . once you go in, you can't come back out till it's over. It'll be a year with just me, Dad, Vegeta and Piccolo. No one else, no other women. No tv, no phone, no-"

"I know, Gohan. I know all of that already. I talked to Dende about it and he explained everything."

"Well . . . if you're _sure_ . . ."

Goku stepped forward. "Gohan, you can't be considering this. It's dangerous."

"Videl can handle it. She's not as fragile as you guys like to think," Gohan asserted. "And I can handle it. I'm not going to screw up something this big."

The room remained silent for a few tense moments. Piccolo suddenly barked, "If we're going to go, then let's do it."

Videl grinned and slung a bag filled with personal items that she'd packed the night before over her shoulder with excitement. The guys wouldn't regret taking her along. She would make sure of it.

*~*

Few words were spoken once they arrived on Dende's Lookout, and only then were they used to converse with the guardian and to see if everything was set. Dende tried to hide his surprise, that Videl had actually gotten her way as he gave them a bag of senzu beans, told them to only use them in emergencies, wished them luck before they stepped foot into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. 

As the doors were slowly opened, Gohan whispered to his girlfriend, "There's still time to back out . . ."

Back out? Satan Videl didn't _back out_. She just shook her head and followed the others inside, staring at the white expanse before her. When the door shut with a bang, she jumped and whirled around, then turned back to the never-ending background. "Wow . . ."

As the others immediately began surveying their living conditions, Gohan squeezed Videl's shoulder. "Okay?"

"Just peachy."

"Gohan . . ." called Goku, "there are only four beds!"

Gohan and Videl looked around. Sure enough, there were only two sets of bunk beds, and no extra. Gohan shrugged his shoulders and moved to sit down on one of the lower beds. "So? Videl and I can share."

Goku, playing the worried father, frowned disapprovingly. "I don't know . . ."

Videl rolled her eyes and tossed her sack onto the bed on which Gohan sat. "Oh, yeah, we're _really_ gonna do the wild thing with his _dad_ and his _friends_ sleeping less than five feet away."

Gohan and Goku blushed. "Well . . . ah," Goku cleared his throat. "Seeing that I am Gohan's father, I think I should take the one above you two. It's the fatherly thing to do."

Vegeta glared. "Enough of that. Let's get to work already." Piccolo nodded in agreement.

"Wait!" exclaimed Gohan. "I think . . ." he glanced over at Videl, who was looking around the living area with innocent curiosity, " . . .that a few ground rules need to be set."

Exasperated sighs erupted from the others as they shifted their weight.

"Hear me out, okay? Now, I think a little . . . propriety . . . is in order. A lady is present, after all." Gohan turned red again, shooting Videl meaningful looks.

She looked his way. "Huh?"

Goku also seemed confused. "Propriety? What do you mean?"

"Is that word too big for you, Kakkarot?" Vegeta snarled. "Well, I'll tell you what it means. It means that you can't go running around the place butt naked anymore!"

It was Videl's turn to blush as she quickly turned away. Goku . . . running around the place naked? _Figures. He WOULD do something like that._

Goku's face began to resemble a tomato. "Oh. Oh! Well, of course I wouldn't do something like that with Videl around!" He quickly walked off, leaving Piccolo and Vegeta to follow.

Gohan began to laugh with Videl, and the two plopped down on the bed together. Gohan pulled her close and buried his face in her hair. "Say . . . what do you have in that bag?"

" . . . nothing. Don't worry about it. Just some . . . personal things."

"Personal things? Like what?"

Videl giggled into his chest and smacked him lightly. "You know what I mean."

" . . . no, not really. I don't."

" . . . you're serious."

"Yeah." 

She laughed even harder, getting off of him. "Get out of here. Get to work."

"But . . . but . . ."

"Go on!" As Gohan walked off to join the group who'd already begun to spar with his shoulders hunched over in confusion, Videl shook her head and stuffed her bag underneath the bed. How had she managed to fall in love with someone so _naïve_?

*~*

In beginning, things went a little rough for the group, specifically in the propriety area. Gohan made a effort to make sure that the men were fully clothed most of the time (Vegeta made a big deal about having to go around with a shirt on), made sure that Videl had her privacy when she bathed, and tried to stop the others from yelling out harsh obscenities while they were training . . . and while they weren't.

After time, everyone settled in and (relatively) got along. And Videl turned out to be more of an asset than previously thought. When she wasn't training herself, she kept the living area neat and tidy, picking up torn gi's from the middle of the floor, making up beds, preparing hot baths for the men when they finished a long round and so forth.

But Videl really spent most of her time watching Gohan fight. He was getting much better, regaining the strength he'd lost during his lax seven years. Within just a few months, he could now take on both Piccolo and Vegeta at the same time, and he could only get better.

A strange sense of pride filled Videl as she realized that it was technically _her_ strength that had cause Gohan's drastic improvements.

However, this pride slowly began to ware off as she began to suspect that Gohan was overworking himself. As more time passed, Gohan spent barely any time asleep, and every single hour training. If the others were tired or resting, he would go out and work on his own. Even Goku began to show signs of worry as he tried to coax his son into relaxing once and a while. But Gohan would not give in and resisted any and all temptations, working himself to the bone.

Goku privately approached Videl to speak to her about it. He sat on the floor next to her, directing his gaze to the same area hers was pointed to- Gohan. "What do you think?" he asked quietly.

"I dunno. We can't stop him- we've already tried, so what is there to do?"

" . . ."

"Goku . . . could you explain to me the levels of Super Saiyan again?" she asked nonchalantly.

Goku was surprised, but went on to tell her anyway. He explained that Saiyans gained another level through desperation and anger. Very strong emotions could trigger the change at any time.

"I see . . . So, that's what he's after."

"Excuse me?"

"He's after the elusive third level of Super Saiyan. The only way to defeat Rattai is to be stronger than him, and gaining a level would be a sure sign of his strength."

"Hmmm . . . maybe you're right. So I should be encouraging him?"

Videl shrugged. "I guess. As long as he eats and gets _some_ sleep, then he should be fine."

So Goku took her advice and worked with his son, now knowing what he was trying to achieve. But time was running out, and, with just two months left in the chamber, Gohan had still not reached the desired level. Vegeta believed that there _was_ no third level and that Rattai had been just making it up since he'd been "working his ass off without any gain." 

Yet Gohan did not give up, and neither did Videl. When the others slept at 'night', Videl stayed up with Gohan as he fought, even though he was so far out that she could barely see him. Gohan knew that she was there- she was _always_ there, and he drew more strength from her loyalty.

_I've got to reach the next level. It's the only way . . ._ Gohan took a second to glance at Videl, who sat alone in the living area with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. _If I don't do this, then Videl will be turned over to the creep . . ._ He resumed his training, working faster and faster, his fists and feet just blurs._ If I fail, then Videl will have to be subjected to that bastard's advances . . ._ His eyes narrowed to slits as he envisioned Rattai before him, and began to attack with even more fury. _If I am defeated, then he'll rape Videl, he'll beat her, she'll be miserable and unloved . . . I don't want that. _Gohan felt his desperation building until his heart felt ready to explode._ I won't let that happen . . . I won't . . . I won't . . ._

**"I WON'T!!!!!!!"** bellowed Gohan. What he'd felt building up inside of him was suddenly released as he tossed back his head and screamed.

Videl jumped to her feet and began to back up. "Go-Go-GOKU!!!!!! Wake up, something's happening to Gohan!!!!!!!!"

But he and the others were already up, and had been the second they felt Gohan's ki spike. Barely dressed and groggy, they watched as Gohan's body was engulfed in blinding light and the whole place began to shake. Videl immediately hit the floor and covered her head, yet all the while peaking through her fingers. The others steadied them selves by grabbing onto a wall or a bed or a table, momentarily blinded by the intense light.

After what seemed like an eternity, everything was silent. Vegeta swore loudly, then took off in Gohan's direction. Piccolo and Goku followed suit, leaving Videl still cowering on the floor. She hesitantly sat up and brushed back a few locks of hair from her face. "Gohan . . ."

He'd fallen from the air where he'd been sparring and was now on the ground with the other three fighters standing above his still body, murmuring to themselves.

What had happened? Had he reached level three?

Determined to be of some help, Videl sprang into action, filling the tub with hot water, gathering some towels and removing one bean from their stash, which had remained untouched until now. She was sure that Gohan would need it.

She anxiously watched as the three began carrying Gohan back to safety, but was most certainly not prepared for what she saw when Goku carefully placed his son on the bed.

"Level three," Vegeta whispered. "It _is_ possible . . ."

"Once again, he's upstaged us all," mused Piccolo with a hint of pride in his voice.

Goku grinned. "That's my boy."

Videl scoffed and shoved them roughly aside, kneeling down next to the bed. "He's lying here practically _dead_ and you guys are just _staring_ and _gawking_ like he's some side show or something . . ." She shoved the senzu bean into Gohan's mouth, sweeping back his . . . _extended_ hair, only to have it fall back in place. "Damn spiky hair . . ."

Vegeta sat on the floor and scratched his chest, then yawned quite loudly. "He'll be fine, woman. Back off."

Goku rubbed his hands together anxiously. "I can't wait till he's awake! I want to see what he can do now that he's in this level! I-"

"Oh no you don't!" Videl protested furiously, whirling around to face the older man. "He can rest for a few days first, _then _you can let him kick your asses, but-"

"A few day's?!" whined Goku. "I can't wait that long!"

"And neither can I."

Everyone returned their attention to Gohan, who was sitting up on the bed, flexing his hands and pulling at his hair. He could barely fit in the fresh gi he'd put on earlier; now, the fabric was strengthening against his newly enlarged muscles. He felt power surging through them, and now that he was refreshed from the senzu beans, he was ready to test drive the new level.

"Gohan! But-"

"Just for a while, Videl, and then I'll go straight to bed. I just need to figure out some things first," Gohan replied calmly, although inside, he was buzzing with excitement.

"Yeah, like how to get out of level three," said Goku. "And then, of course, how to get _back_ without using too much of your energy."

"That will be crucial in the battle," Vegeta added. "All of the work the brat did will be useless if he wears himself out getting there."

Piccolo nodded. "And learning a few new moves while there's still time wouldn't hurt. Given that the enemy has already seen you at work, and vice versa, having something to surprise him with would be a benefit."

Videl threw up her hands in defeat. "Okay, I get the point. There's a lot to be done, and in very little time."

Gohan leapt off of the bed. "Let's get back to work."

*~*                  

It turned out that it took only a single thought about Videl in some kind of trouble to send Gohan to level three, but he decided to keep that little piece of information to himself, even though his dad and Vegeta pestered him to death about how he was able to achieve it so easily. Gohan skirted the issue by replying that if they ever reached level three (and Vegeta had barked, "You mean _when_,"), that _his _method for reaching it would probably not work for them. This got them to back off a bit.

Gohan had begun to notice when he allowed himself to take a small break every once and a while, that Videl was getting stronger along with the rest of the group. Now she worked while the others slept, and rested while the men returned to work. Due to her backwards schedule, most of the time she worked by herself, unless Goku or Gohan began to feel a little bad and spent some time with her; but despite the lack of help, she was making remarkable improvements.

One 'day', while Piccolo was busy meditating on his bed and Goku and Vegeta were stuffing their faces at the table, Gohan took Videl out as into the training area as far as she could go, and asked, "How about a rematch?"

"What?" she demanded.

"A rematch. Remember that fight we had at your place, and your dad made us stop . . ."

" . . . oh, yeah! I _did _say that we'd have a rematch, didn't I?" She grinned. "Well, I'm ready now. Careful, Gohan, I'm not the girl I used to be. I've gotten stronger, you know."

"I'm hoping you did. So, how do you want it?"

"Level two would be just fine," Videl answered confidently with a strange smile on her face.

Gohan momentarily hesitated, then leveled up for her. Videl immediately went on the offense, catching Gohan off guard with a punch in the face. He flew back a good distance before stopping himself, then realized that there was blood dripping from his mouth. _Ow . . . that HURT! She HAS gotten better. Now let's see by how much._

Gohan attacked . . . and missed! Again and again, he missed every punch and kick. Videl just neatly dodged out of the way and slapped him on the back of the head roughly. "Don't hold back, dummy! I told you, I've gotten better!"

By now, Vegeta had begun to notice that something was up. He turned away from his food and caught sight of Videl ducking and dodging every one of Gohan's attacks. "Oh, goody," he announced loudly, drawing the Namek's and Goku's attention, "let's watch the brat's make kick his ass."

Gohan stopped and stared at her. "I . . . well . . . okay, you're right. I won't hold back, okay?"

"Good. That's all I want. Now bring it on." She socked him in the face again, then in the stomach and knocked him to the ground. Gohan watched with interest as she flew backwards and shouted. "Get ready, Gohan! Here it comes!"

"What on earth is she doing?" wondered Goku as he continued to munch on a turkey leg the size of his arm. 

Vegeta snickered. "I have no idea, but this should be interesting . . ."

Videl concentrated hard, cupped her hands and took the position that she'd seen the others do so many times before. Softly, she said, "Kame . . ."

Gohan just blinked and squinted at her. She was saying _something_, but what was it?

" . . .hame . . ." louder this time so that the others could hear.

Vegeta laughed outright. "Who is she kidding?"

"HAAAAA!!!!!!!!!" 

A bright blue ball erupted from her hands and sped in Gohan's direction. He stood there stunned for a few seconds, then darted out of the way. Videl's energy ball crashed to the floor, missing its target, but was still, in her eyes, a major victory.

Goku's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and he suddenly began to choke on his turkey. His face turned red, purple, and then blue until Piccolo roughly slapped him on the back, dislodging the meat from his throat. Goku spat it out and got to his feet, throwing his hands in the air and doing a little dance. "DID YOU SEE THAT?! SHE DID IT!!!! ALRIGHT, VIDEL!!!"

Vegeta was stunned, but hid it better than Goku contained his excitement. "Well . . . the next thing we know, she'll be turning her hair blonde." He returned to his lunch.

Gohan grinned with pride. "Hey, good job! When'd you learn that?"

"While your dad and the others were busy pummeling your face into gravel. Wait till you see what else I can do!"

Gohan looked apprehensive. "There's . . . more?"

"There sure is!"

" . . . Why don't you show me? Now I'm more than a little curious."

She looked devious. " . . . maybe later. You've seen more than enough already."

"No fair, Videl! You can't bait me like that and not deliver!"

"Sure I can. I just did!"

"That's not right!"

"Hey, a woman's gotta keep _something_ to herself, you know? Besides, it's not that big a deal."

Gohan stuck out his tongue. "Fine!"

She laughed, then gave him a tight hug. "Later, okay? I promise. I'll show you later . . . when you return from the fight." _And you will come back. You have to._

Author's Note: I cut this a little short, to make sure I got this out when I said I would. 


	38. II How it Came to Be, Part One

*~*

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. The plot is mine. 

*~*

*~* Chapter Thirty-Eight *~*

How it Came to Be, Part One

Videl sighed heavily, pulling a thick, smelly old blanket tighter around her shoulders.  She began to shiver uncontrollably, but not only from the cold, but from the view of what was outside.  Another one of her fears coming to life.  She concentrated on her breathing, watching her breath turn into white smoke as it left her mouth.  Where was Gohan? He'd been gone for a long time . . .

She stiffened as she heard the door slide open, unsure of who would be coming through.  To her relief, it was just Gohan.  Gohan, with several more blankets under one arm and some steaming boxes balancing in the other hand.  He gently set the blankets down on the floor and went over to the seat by the window on which Videl sat.  He gave her a supportive smile and placed one of the boxes on her lap.

"What this?" Videl asked curiously, enticed by the wonderful smell floating from the box.

"Food.  Nice and hot, to warm you up," Gohan said.  "Don't worry, I think it's safe.  I taste-tested it all myself."

Videl laughed softly.  "Oh, I'm sure you did.  So . . . how is it going out there?"

Gohan sighed warily and sat next to his girlfriend.  "Well, I'm still trying to fix the heat, and I'm almost done checking the place out.  No trouble so far."

"That's good, I suppose.  Are you going back out now?"

"I'd better.  The sooner I get done making sure its safe, the sooner I can figure out how to get us out of this mess," Gohan replied, a little reluctantly.

"Alright.  I'll . . . be fine by myself." She was lying through her teeth.

"Okay.  Just . . . relax, and I'll be back to check up on you." Gohan took in her worried expression, and took her chin in his hand.  She looked up him with wide, expressive eyes in a way that told Gohan that she was quite scared.  He gave her a gentle kiss on her lips and smiled.  "It'll be fine.  I promise."

"I trust you Gohan," Videl said simply and watched as Gohan left.  She sighed and cracked open the box in her lap.  There was something green, and some meat, but . . . no fork.  "Figures," she muttered and began to eat with her fingers.  

To keep her mind off of her fear, she began to think back to how she and Gohan had managed to get themselves into THIS mess.  It had all began when they'd returned from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber . . .

*~*~*~*~*

A jet copter carrying Bulma, Chichi, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Chibi Trunks, Mirai Trunks and Goten landed on Dende's Lookout early the next morning, just before the twenty four-hour mark was up. The two boys were anxious to see which father had gone to level three (so that one could gloat over the other, of course), and, to tell the truth, so was everyone else.

They didn't have long to wait before their curiosity was satisfied. Right on schedule, the door to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber swung open and the five who'd gone in came out. The group immediately surrounded them, all asking at once who'd achieved the next level.

Goku, being the proud father that he was, grabbed Gohan and pulled him close, throwing an arm around his eldest son's neck. "Gohan here did it! He went to level three!"

Chichi enveloped Gohan in a tight hug as the others congratulated him. Bulma grinned, caught his eye, and nodded. She cleared her throat and shouted over the cheering, "I think a celebration is in order! A dinner tonight, at Capsule Corp. Formal wear only!"

No one protested against Bulma's stuffy choice of attire for the party. After all, something like what to wear seemed a bit trivial, especially since the group had a ray of hope.

*~*

"Oh, dear, what on _earth_ am I going to _wear_?!!" shrieked Chichi a little later that morning as she dove into her closet, tossing gown after sparkling gown out onto the floor.

The group had gone their separate ways, to rest up before the big party that would be held later that night. It was still quite early in the morning, so most of them had gone straight to bed. The Son household, however, was very much alive.

Videl raised an eyebrow, picking up a beautiful sea blue dress. "What about this one?"

Chichi whirled around, then made a face. "No, no, no! That won't do!" She turned back to her closet. "Tonight will be very, _very_ special indeed and that old thing will _not_ do!"

"Ummm, if you're _sure_ . . ."

"Oh, I'm very sure. Well! It looks like I'll have to go shopping. Let's see . . . a new pair of shoes, a dress, a handbag, some perfume . . ." Chichi grabbed her purse and quickly exited the house, flying off in the jet car newly purchased Son family jet car.

Videl shook her head and went into the kitchen where Goku, Goten and Gohan were building a sandwich mountain. She walked by, snatched one off the top and threw the fridge open. The guys watched as she removed the milk carton from the fridge and drank straight from it.

Goten giggled. "Good thing Ma just left. She'd get real mad if she saw you do that."

Videl shrugged her shoulder. "There's barely anything left anyway."

Goku pouted, eyeing the carton. "Aww, I wanted some!"

"Don't worry Dad," Gohan said firmly, glancing up at Videl who was nibbling on the crust of her sandwich. "Videl and I will pick some up when we go shopping in a little while."

Videl choked momentarily, glaring at Gohan. "Excuse me? Who said we were going _shopping_?  And since when do you start making decisions _concerning_ me before _asking_ me? Huh?"

"I just thought you'd like to get something nice for tonight," he replied calmly, taking six sandwiches from the mountain and placing them on a plate.

"I can just wear the dress I wore to the dance, you know. There's nothing wrong with it."

"I know, but . . ."

Videl's eyes narrowed. "In fact, if I remember correctly, _you_ couldn't keep your eyes off of me that night."

Goku laughed, causing his eldest son to blush. "Well, okay, so . . . I never said it was _ugly_ or anything," Gohan said sheepishly.

"Then why should I go buy another one?"

"What's the _problem_ with buying another one?"

By now, Goten and Goku were watching the two as if they were engrossed in a soap opera.

Videl gave him a look. "I _hate_ shopping! You know that!"

"C'mon. Maybe you could invite Erasa and make a date of it or something."

"No, she'll ask what it's for, and then I'll have to tell her, and she'll want to come, which will lead to a whole lot of explaining and-"

Gohan grinned. "I was planning on asking Sharpner and Erasa to come anyway."

Videl gapped, sitting in the only seat left. "WHAT?!" Then . . . "You know what this means?!"

"Yes," Gohan replied reasonably, stuffing a sandwich into his mouth. "And that's okay. They're our friends, and they should know. After all, tomorrow's outcome will most _definitely_ concern them."

" . . . what's going on, Gohan? You're up to something. You can't hide things from me!"

"W-what-"

"Chichi and Bulma carrying on about some secret, the package that came, Chichi's insane desire to buy a whole new wardrobe just for tonight . . . I'm not stupid!"

Gohan laughed nervously. "Of course you're not! I . . . er . . . well . . ."

Goku butted in. "That package, actually, was for me, wasn't it Gohan? I ordered a nice piece of jewelry as a surprise for Chichi, but I guess she couldn't resist!"

Gohan nodded furiously in agreement.

Videl, suspicious as usual, gave Goku a heated look, waiting for him to crack. But when he didn't, she decided to let it drop. Maybe the two women had been going crazy over Goku's supposed gift. Still didn't explain Chichi's rampage though . . .

_Well,_ Videl mused to herself, _Gohan and his folks aren't exactly the most normal people around, so . . ._

"Fine, Gohan. If you insist . . ."

*~*

"Can you believe it? Erasa's _already_ at Sharpner's," muttered Videl as she jerked her jetcopter sharply to the left, slamming Gohan into the passenger-side door. "That's so weird . . ."

After making a quick stop at Videl's place to pick up her copter and, despite Gohan's hesitation, to invite Hercule to the night's festivities, the two were on their way to meet up with their friends. Videl had just called Erasa's home, only to find that her best friend was not there, but at _Sharpner's_ mansion, of all places.

Gohan couldn't help notice the way Videl stepped on the gas, her eyes narrowing out of suspicion. "Videl, how's that weird? They're friends, and friends go over to each other's houses all the time."

"Not Erasa. Sharpner gets on her nerves a lot more than she lets on . . ."

" . . . ooookay . . ."

"Hmm . . ." Videl thought about what it could mean.  _I wonder . . . could they be? Naw . . . wait . . . **maybe** . . ._

The copter gained more and more speed. Gohan could now see below the white puffy clouds. A string of fancy mansions, all with Olympic sized pools in their lush backyards, sat in the horizon. Videl parked the copter in the middle of the front lawn of the first house they came to and got out, and then marched up to the house. Gohan looked around, then winced as he noticed that his girlfriend had parked directly on top of a bunch of pretty flowers.

"Er . . . Videl . . . maybe you should move your-" he began.

"Just come _on_, Gohan!" Videl was already at the front door.

" . . . right, coming!" 

By the time Gohan made it to the porch, Videl was already speaking with the butler who'd answered the door. "Oh, don't worry. I know the way to Sharpner's room," she assured the man with a strange, tight smile, grabbed Gohan by the arm and hauled him into the house and up many, many winding stairs.

"Jeez, Videl . . . what's your problem?" he whined, letting her drag him around. "And why do you know the way to Sharpner's room?" _That_ seemed to be nagging him the most, not the fact that he was being shoved around.

She didn't answer, but suddenly stopped outside of a large, red door. Kicking on it, Videl bellowed in a deep voice, "Open up now, Sharpner! I know you're in there with Erasa!"

A loud "Oh, shit!" followed by the sounds of bedsprings creaking caused Gohan to blush. "That was kinda rude, Videl . . ."

She just laughed, and continued laughing when Sharpner opened the door. His face was flaming red and his clothes were in disarray. He scowled. 

"Damn it, Videl, you scared the hell outta me!!" he exclaimed.

Videl invited herself into his room and grinned. "Who'd you think I was, your old man?"

"YEAH!!!"

Erasa, who was still sitting on the bed, glared at her friend. "That was _so_ not funny! Thanks for killing the mood!" She began smoothing out the ruffled bed sheets around her, her face as red as her new boyfriend's.

Videl raised an eyebrow, sensing real anger in Erasa. "Sorry. I was just kidding!" She gave them a little time to collect themselves before saying, "_Soooooo_ . . . you two are a couple now? Congratulations!"

Erasa's face turned even redder, then, to the surprise of everyone, she jumped up off the bed and got in Videl's face. "Yeah, well, what the hell do you care, huh? Too busy with Gohan to pick up a phone? If you _had_, then you would have _known_!"

Videl took a step back. "Woah! Sorry, jeez, but I can explain, really!"

"I don't want to hear it! Ever since Gohan came along, you've forgotten about ME, your best friend!" she cried, stamping her foot angrily. 

Gohan winced, wishing he were invisible.

"What happened to what we used to say, huh? We always said that we wouldn't let a guy come between us, or get in the way of our friendship, Videl! But look at you! You don't care about me anymore!"

Now Videl was getting a little ticked off. "I _said_ I was sorry! If YOU knew what _I_ have been doing, and how Gohan and I have been tirelessly working to save your asses, and the asses of everyone on this _planet_, then I THINK you'd feel a little differently!!"

Gohan stepped forward nervously. "Calm down Videl . . ."

Sharpner made a face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"That's what Videl and I came to explain," Gohan said calmly before Videl could let out a stream of curses. "Please, Erasa, just hear us out. I think you'll understand why Videl didn't have time to do very much socializing . . ."

And so Gohan and Videl sat down and began to explain everything. Erasa's and Sharpner's faces showed various emotions, from shock, to disbelief, to confusion, to anger and sadness, and, when everything was over, humor.

The two erupted with laughter, falling over each other as they gasped for breath.

Sharpner wiped the tears from his eyes, gripping his aching stomach. "Ohh, ohhhhhhhhh, good one guys!! Gohan, _Saiyaman_? Aliens? Plots to blow up the earth?! Hahahahahaha! I don't know about Erasa, but you two are totally forgiven! I've never . . . hahahaha . . . laughed this hard in my life!!!!!!!!!"

Erasa giggled. "I wonder, what were you two . . . hahaha . . . really up to that was . . . haha . . . so bad that you'd have to . . . hehehe . . . make up a crazy story like that?!!"

Gohan frowned. "It's the truth, I SWEAR!!!"

Videl sighed and shook her head. "Looks like we're gonna have to do this the hard way." She sent Gohan a look. He nodded.

Gohan pushed the button on his watch and the suit that he hadn't worn for so long appeared. Erasa screamed. "HE REALLY IS SAIYAMAN!!!!!!!!!!"  Then he formed an energy ball in his hand and slowly crushed it in his fist, sending sparkles of light shooting through the room.

Neither of them was laughing now.

"B-but . . . I don't . . ." stammered Sharpner. 

Videl returned to the floor and gave her friends a reassuring smile. "You two saw us at the Tenkaichi Budokai. Still, I know it's a lot to take in, but we wanted you all to know. There's going to be a party tonight at Capsule Corp, since tomorrow is the Big Day. We wanted you all to come . . . just in case . . . you know . . ." Videl's voice faded away.

Gohan placed a hand on Videl's shoulder to comfort her. "However, if I . . . fail . . . then not all is lost," Gohan said softly, keeping his eyes on Videl the whole time. "The others will be there. They'll save the day, if I can't."

Videl punched him hard, refusing to let the tears that had gathered in her eyes fall. "Shut up, okay? You're not going to die, tomorrow. Not if I have anything to say about it!"

Erasa squealed, "You two are just so cute!! Well, what the heck are we waiting around here for?! Let's go shopping!"

*~*

Gohan and Sharpner spent the rest of the morning and a couple of hours of the afternoon lugging around their girlfriend's packages as they several hundred zeni at nearly every store in the mall. The boys were already drowning under boxes, and they hadn't even gotten to the dress store yet.

"I swear, Sharpner, if you drop _another_ one of those boxes . . ." warned Erasa, giving him a look. "Can't you be more like Gohan?"

Sharpner glanced at the other boy. Several bags hung from his mouth, boxes were piled on top of his head and bags hung from his hands. He seemed to be balancing himself pretty well, too.

Sharpner momentarily considered tripping Gohan for the hell of it, but decided that Videl's wrath wouldn't be worth the laugh.

Videl snickered and threw Gohan to keys to the jet copter as fast as she could. He neatly shifted the bags in his right hand into his left and quickly snatched them out of the air. 

"Show off," grunted Sharpner. "You girls are evil. You do realize that we're gonna have walk all the way back to the front of the mall, then through the parking lot and- HEY!!! Ouch, man, what the hell-"

Gohan had stepped on Sharpner's foot and used IT in the middle of the crowded mall, just after Videl called, "Take some time off boys, and grab a bite to eat."

Erasa squeaked, but Videl just grinned. "Neat little trick, huh?"

The girls went into the store, determined to buy their dresses as quickly as possible so that they could get to a spa and have some girl time. Also, neither of them wanted their boyfriend to see their dress until that night. Videl assured Erasa that they had plenty of time. "Gohan takes forever to eat," she explained, examining a gold dress.

"Do you love him, Videl? Or are you just . . . kinda dating?" asked Erasa as she held a beautiful turquoise dress and placed it against her body, twisting this way and that in front of a tall mirror.

Videl eyed her friend. "Get that one. It's great."

"I think you're right." She glanced down at the price tag and laughed. "Oh, well. This one will put a dent in Dad's wallet! Now, don't you try to skirt around the question. Do you love Gohan?"

Videl sighed heavily. "Of course I do. But we haven't had any time to really be romantic. Right now, I feel as if we're going absolutely no where."

"I bet that's why he insisted on you buying a new dress. He's _obviously_ planning something special tonight."

Videl nodded. "I think it has something to do with jewelry. It wouldn't surprise me if he gave me a string of pearls or diamonds tonight."

Erasa looked thoughtful, handing a store person the dress she wanted to buy so that it could be rung up. "Diamonds, huh? Oh, I saw this little black number back there . . . hold on . . ."

Videl's eyes widened at the dress Erasa brought back. "Little is right! There's barely any fabric on that thing!"

Erasa's eyes danced. "That's the _point_! Who knows . . . you may be getting more than diamonds tonight, if you know what I mean . . ." She winked scandalously. 

Videl flushed. "ERASA!!!!!"

*~*

Much to the boys' dismay, the girls had covered their dresses with black bags, so that they could not see what they'd bought. Walking back to the copter with the girls, Sharpner asked Gohan under his breath, "You don't have x-ray vision or something?"

Gohan laughed. "No! In the hands of a teenaged boy, that power would do more harm than good." 

Sharpner joined him in laughter, knowing good and well that if he could see through stuff, he'd be a dead man by now.

The girls dropped their boyfriends off at Capsule Corp, along with all of their packages except for their concealed dresses and headed off to spend time and money at the most expensive spa around. With the girl's things safely stored in a room, Sharpner and Gohan went around to the back of the house, both equally surprised to see a poker table set up under a shady tree. Around the table sat Krillin, Vegeta, Goku Mirai Trunks and Bulma, all with five cards in their hand, looking around at each other suspiciously.

Gohan raised an eyebrow, coming closer to the group. "What's going on here?"

Goku turned and grinned at his son. "Hey, Gohan!! We're just playing a friendly game of poker!"

Mirai Trunks snorted. "Friendly? Between Vegeta's death threats and Bulma's outbursts of anger, I'm surprised that any of us are still alive."

Gohan introduced Sharpner to everyone. Their greetings weren't to welcoming, as all of their attention was focused on the game. He watched as his father threw in several chips worth twenty zeni each and then, a minute later, watch all of his money, and everyone else's go to Krillin.

Goku sighed and got up. "I don't get this game at all. Take my place, Gohan."

"Sure thing Dad." Goku stood behind his son as he sat down.

Bulma yawned and got up too. "I'm taking a nap. Sharpner, I guess you can play for me. Keep the money if you want to." She headed into the house.

He eagerly sat down and began counting his chips. Apparently, he had a good amount to work with.

Unlike Gohan. What _had_ his father been doing?

Trunks laughed at Gohan's face. "How are you gonna salvage _that_? And can you even play?"

"I can play!"

Krillin grinned sheepishly. "That's my doing, I'm afraid. How long ago was that, Gohan?"

"Can't even remember," Gohan said with a smile. "But don't tell my mother," he added quickly.

Vegeta growled with agitation. "Just deal, damnit!" It was obvious, by the mountain of chips in front of Vegeta and by the nasty gleam in his eye, that he was quite anxious to win more money from the others.

As Krillin dealt the cards, Trunks muttered to Gohan, "I'm still trying to figure out how _Vegeta_ learned how to play!"

Soon, it didn't matter where Vegeta had learned how to play- Gohan and Sharpner were kicking everyone's butts and had doubled the size of their stacks of chips. Goku cheered on Gohan, who was now the current leader of the game.

Eager to keep the little money he had left, Krillin suggested that they end the game. "Er, we've all got to get ready for that party, anyway."

Everyone cashed in their chips and the losers stalked away with sore egos and empty pockets. Goku left his son with his friend and the pile of money he'd won.

Sharpner waved the bills in front of his face. "Ah, my favorite smell! You know what," he said thoughtfully, "since tonight just might be my last . . . why don't we go out and have some fun."

"What kind of fun?" asked Gohan hesitantly.

Sharpner just winked roguishly.

"Ummmm . . . I have a better idea. Let's get the girls something nice. Some jewelry."

At first, the blond boy made a face, but then began to nod. "Good idea! Hey, if I present Erasa with something shiny, maybe I'll get luck- OWWW!!! Damn it-"

Gohan stomped on the other boy's foot and used IT. They appeared outside of a fancy jewelry store. 

Sharpner glared. "Don't do that again!"

"Okay. Next time I'll grab your hair." Gohan quickly went inside and began looking at the shiny objects inside the glass case.

After taking a minute to calm down, Sharpner followed and began glancing around. This place was upper crust- the prices alone indicated that.

Suddenly a slim woman danced up to them, grabbing Gohan by the arm and crying to the other salespeople, "Hey, look, our Romeo's back everyone!!! The one that bought that killer ring set!!"

The workers immediately rushed over, leaving the rest of the customers to stand around looking agitated. Sharpner gapped. "Ring set?"

"So, did she say yes?! Oh, she had to have said yes!!" cooed the woman before she looked horrified. "Wait . . . you're not bringing them _back_ are you?!"

Gohan laughed nervously. "No, I'm not bringing them back. I . . . uh . . . haven't asked yet."

"Asked what?" demanded Sharpner, pushing several people aside to get to Gohan's side.

"Oh, young love! So romantic! This young man is going to ask the love of his life to marry him!" The women in the store sighed collectively. 

One. 

Two.

Three.

"YOU'RE GONNA ASK VIDEL TO MARRY YOU?!!!!!"

*~*

After spending hours caked in mud and having people fawn over them, Erasa and Videl flew back to the Son home in the country where all of the women had agreed to meet in order to prepare for the dinner party. The others forced Videl to sit in the living room and watch tv with Juuhachi, who'd put on a simple red dress, while they went and got ready. Then _they_ would fawn over Videl and make her look perfect.

Once Chichi had a look at the dress, she nearly fainted. "Oh, positively scandalous!" she hissed to Bulma. The two women, already dressed and primped, were standing in the walk in closet, eyeing Videl's dress for the night.

"Positively _delicious_, you mean!"

"I'm just not sure that this is appropriate for tonight," protested Chichi. "I'm sure she wants to look nice and respectable when-"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Oh, get off it, Chichi! Let the girl wear whatever she wants to! You act as Gohan is going to propose to YOU and not VIDEL."

"P-P-PROPOSE?!!!!!!"

The women whirled around to see Erasa standing the doorway, her hands on her face. They grabbed her and shoved inside, closing the door behind them. "SHHHHHHH!!" they hissed.

"Woah, woah, WOAH," cried Erasa. "Gohan's gonna . . . Videl . . . _what_?"

"You can't say anything!" Chichi urged quickly. "Gohan will KILL me if Videl finds out!"

"Oh, I won't say a word. I'm so excited!! Let's hurry up and get her dressed so we can get to this party! I can't wait!" she squeaked.

*~*

Gohan pulled at the bow tie of his tux, pacing back and forth across the living room floor of Capsule Corp nervously, going over the speech he'd memorized in his head over and over again. He hadn't expected to be _this_ nervous, but, he supposed, it was natural, considering the life altering question he was going to ask just hours later. 

Bulma, who'd returned home from Chichi's place, was already dressed in a dazzling gown, and was now busy ordering the caterers and decorators around. "THERE'S the cake! Oh, it's beautiful . .. it looks wonderful . . . NOW GET IT IN THE KITCHEN!!! YOU'RE TWO HOURS LATE, DAMNIT!!" 

Gohan watched the people holding the cake scurry off as fast as they could. "Bulma . . . take it easy . . ." he advised, giving her a little grin.

She looked flustered. "Gohan, I just want everything to be perfect!"

"I know, but there's no need for you to kill yourself over it. Everything will be fine," said Gohan. "So . . . how's Videl?"

"The other women are taking care of her," Bulma's eyes sparkled as she gave him a wink. "Wait till you see her in that dress . . . you won't be able to believe your eyes . . ."

Gohan turned red and gave her a nervous smile. "She sure is beautiful, huh?"

"Oh, Gohan, you're sooo cute! I just wish Vegeta would say something like that about me . . . HEY! HEY HEY HEY!!!! DON'T PUT THAT THERE!! DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU INCOMPETENT PEOPLE **EVERYTHING**?!!!!!!" She stomped off after several men struggling to carry a large flower arrangement.

Gohan just shook his head. "Bulma's more wound up about this than I am," he muttered. Forcing himself to calm down, he knew that he had to believe that everything would be okay.

*~*

All Bulma needed was a giant red carpet rolled out in front of her door to make the dinner party a real gala event, with all of the lighting and decorations that she'd put up in honor of Gohan's big announcement.  Videl marveled at the spectacle from her father's luxury chopper which had picked up the ladies from Gohan's home and was currently en route for Capsule Corp.  Erasa squealed excitedly, grabbing at Videl's gloved hand as she got a glimpse of the decorations.  

Videl was very glad to see her best friend having a good time.  They'd been out of contact for so long, and this party had brought them together again.  She didn't want to be morbid, but considering what was going to happen that very next day . . . well, she was glad to have reunited with her longtime friend.

The copter swung around as it began to land on the landing pad outside of Capsule Corp.  Videl laughed to herself.  THERE was the red carpet, leading from the landing pad to the door of the building.  She leaned forward for a better look.  Was that Gohan standing there with an armful of red roses?

Who knew that her boyfriend was a hopeless romantic?

Videl's heart began to race and her stomach felt jittery.  Although she had her suspicions, she really had no idea what Gohan had planned for the night.  This uncertainty made her nervous, but she reassured herself by acknowledging that, whatever the surprise was, it could only be a good thing.

Once the copter had landed and was firmly on the ground, Chichi forced her out of the vehicle first where she was met by Gohan.  He looked a little dumbfounded, the roses slipping from his arm once he'd gotten a look at Videl's attire.  She smiled and took the flowers from him before they hit the ground and kissed him on the cheek.  

"These are lovely, Gohan.  Thank you," she said, inhaling the roses' wonderful scent. 

"_You're _lovely," he blurted out, immediately turning red afterwards.

She laughed and took his arm.  "Stop drooling already and take me inside."

Gohan nodded and walked her down the red isle towards Capsule Corp.  He was constantly aware of the ring box in his pocket and the anticipation began to build up inside him.  Videl looked gorgeous, the dining hall was spectacular and he was surrounded by his family and closest friends . . .

He had done _his_ part.  Now it was up to Videl to say yes . . .

*~*~*~*~*

Videl sighed and licked her fingers clean, tossing the box onto the floor once she was done.  She grabbed and extra blanket and placed it around her shoulders, leaning her head against the wall as she carefully avoided looking out of the window.  She would remember that night for the rest of her life . . .

No matter how short it appeared it would be . . .

_NEXT CHAPTER:__ Okay, so you're all confused, right? That's OKAY, you're supposed to be!  Next time, we get Videl's reply and the big fight and . . . wait, just WHERE are Videl and Gohan? _


End file.
